It took a cup of coffee
by Rincewind2.0
Summary: AU. After being dumped by Grimmjow, Renji turns his attention to his best friend, Ichigo. But things won't go as smoothly as they had hoped, at least not before the reason behind Grimmjow's actions is revealed and dealt with. Drama, yaoi, suspense.
1. You Tell You Don't Love Me

Renji tried to keep his hands from shaking. His breath seemed to be stuck somewhere in his throat, he felt as though he had run a marathon. His heart was skipping beats and his face felt flushed. He tried to swallow but his mouth was dry.

Grimmjow sighed and reached over the table to snatch the cup of coffee from Renji's trembling hands.

"Look at you, you're making a mess for Christ's sake" he huffed as he placed the cup between them. Renji gulped audibly and lowered his head. His fiery red hair fell covering his face. Grimmjow could see tears starting to run across his face. Suddenly things didn't seem to go so smoothly as he had hoped.

"Stop being such a pussy, Renji. We're in public, remember", Grimmjow muttered while looking around him in the café, making sure that no one else had noticed the state of his now ex- boyfriend. He was now sobbing, strands of his hair were sticking to his cheeks. Grimmjow sighed again and hold out to grasp Renji's hand in his own.

"Hey hey hey, don't be like that, babe. There's no reason to take this so personally...". Grimmjow stopped when Renji's head snapped up and his brown eyes stared at him full of anger and disappointment.

"How can I not take it personally if you say that you...that you don't.." Renj's voice broke down in sobs and he had to look away from Grimmjow. _Goddammit those eyes and that face_, he thought as he tried to wipe his eyes with his free hand. He inhaled deeply, his breath still shaking.

"That you don't love me", he whispered almost inaudibly. Grimmjow let out an irritated sigh and tore his hand away from Renji's.

"'Cause it's not about you. I'm just that type of guy who gets serious in his relationships. You knew that", Grimmjow's tone became patronizing as he looked at Renji from under his brows. He really wanted to get out this situation, he wasn't expecting such a fuss over it.

"Bu- but I thought everything was going so well", Renji exclaimed, his voice broken from crying, "I mean I- what did I do wrong?"

Grimmjow slammed his hand against the table, scaring the other clients and making Renji flinch in his seat.

"For God's sake, you just don't get it, do you? It's not about YOU!" Grimmjow shouted. Renji stared at him with wide, scared eyes, along with other clients and the employees of the café. Grimmjow glanced around the café, grabbed his leather jacket and stormed out of the café, slamming the door behind him. Everyone's eyes turned from the door to the shaking wreck that was now Renji.

Renji was too tangled in his emotions that he could have cared about the attention directed towards him. He just stared after Grimmjow until a young waitress shyly came to his table.

"Um, sorry sir, but do you need anything?". Renji looked at the waitress as she had stepped out of a spaceship and then shook his head.

"No, no, I- I'm fine"he stuttered and placed ten bucks on the table before walking out of the café in a daze.

"Bu- but sir, your change!" the waitress tried to run after him but he couldn't hear her.

_Two, three weeks later_

Renji stared at the light at the window above him. He had been standing on the street for about an hour now, chain smoking almost the whole time. _His favourite brand of cigarettes..._

He couldn't stand the silence in his apartment, so he had gone out for a walk. It was already midnight and the streets were empty, except for few drunks and junkies, but they usually left Renji alone. He wasn't an easy target to mug for petty cash, with his 6 ''2 muscular frame, body-covering tribal tattooes and badass attitude emanating from him. Though now he felt anything but.

He had spotted Grimmjow's car parked on the street. It was easy to recognise, an old Cadillac with the black panther painted on the engine bonnet and blue flames on the sides. Renji had realized he had walked straight to Grimmjow's apartment, had seen the light on his window and had stayed there since.

It was starting to get really chilly and Renji wasn't really appropriately dressed for the cold. Still, even though his throat was starting to hurt from the smoking and his fingers had gone numb, he couldn't get his feet to move. He'd probably stand there till Grimmjow got out of his apartment, though he had no idea what he would do if that happened.

"Oi, Renji! What the hell are you doing here?" A familiar voice shouted to him across the street and made Renji whip around to see the source of the noise. On the other side of the street, a tall young man with obnoxiously bright orange hair was waving to him with a smug grin on his face. _Quite a handsome face in fact, _Renji acknowledged when the youngster jogged across the road to stand beside him.

"Didn't you hear me, baka, I asked what the hell you're doing here in the middle of the night?"

"I could ask you the same question, poke" Renji snapped back and took a long inhale of his cigarette.

"Young snotty kids like you shouldn't be wandering around the streets on their own, Ichigo. There can be bad people around here." The said ginger snorted.

"Nothing worse than you, I'd expect" he sniggered and pointed to Renji's cigarette.

"You know that's bad for you. Every cigarette shortens your life by five minutes", Ichigo smirked and started to swing back and forth on his heels.

"And if it takes me ten minutes to smoke one I guess it's a five minutes win on my behalf" Renji retaliated with an equally smug smirk on his face and blew a hefty cloud of smoke to Ichigo's face.

The teen waved his hands in front of his face trying to get rid of the smoke.

"Hey, don't blow your carcinogens in my face baka!" he shouted and broke out to an exaggerated coughing fit. While he was retching with his hand on his knees Ichigo noticed the car that was parked on the street and straightened up.

"Don't tell me you're stalking him now, Renji". Ichigo shot a worried glance towards the redhead who was now staring intently at his shoes. Ichigo could see that his friend was not far away from falling apart at that very spot. _How long has he been here, anyway? _Ichigo saw the amount of cigarette stubs on the ground. _For some time I guess. He must be freezing._

"I..I didn't mean to, I just had to get out of the house, you know" Renji muttered, flicking the ashes of his cigarette while his other hand was fumbling the end of his ponytail.

"Then, before I knew, I had ended up here. And then.." Renji let out a small, strained laugh and shrug his shoulders, "I just couldn't make myself to leave."

Ichigo raised his head up towards to night sky, closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.

"Renji, you idiot", he murmured softly, shaking his head. Beside him Renji stomped out his cigarette and shoved his hands to his pockets like a scolded child. He flinched a bit when he felt Ichigo's strong arm drape across his shoulders and his body being pulled closer to Ichigo's. _He's so warm_, Renji thought and felt a sudden urge to bury his face to Ichigo's neck and pull him even closer.

"Let's get you somewhere warm, shall we?" Ichigo said in a low voice, with a kind smile on his lips. Renji could only nod and simper in return. That said, the duo shuffled away from Grimmjow's apartment. Above them, Grimmjow sneaked a peek from his window.

_Finally, I thought he'd froze to death there. That would've been awkward. _Grimmjow backed away from the window and took a sip from his beer. He had noticed the redhead as soon as he had stopped under his window, and had regularly checked on him.

_That teen could actually do him some good_, he thought finishing his beer and slumping down on his couch. He pulled a cigarette package out of his back pocket, lit one with his faithful Zippo and puffed out a few smoke rings, chucking the lighter back to his coffee table. _He could actually give him what he deserves._

_**To be continued?**_


	2. This Charming Man

**Kind of a sobby chapter here, Renji being really OOC in the beginning, sorry about that. But anyone would be after a bad breakup so don't worry, he'll be back on his high horse after some tender care from Ichigo. And I now noticed the typo of "boke", I've written it "poke" in the first chapter. Do forgive me. **

**Oh, and the name of this fic comes from the song "Cup of Coffee" by Garbage. I just felt inspired whilst listening to it and if anyone knows it, you can really tell :)**

**I'm also glad of how easy it feels to write this fic now, I'm hoping I will be able to upload it quite frequently. Feedback is always welcome, naturally! **

**EDIT: Fixed a massive plot hole here, sorry everyone for being so illogical. Hope you never even noticed...  
**

**This Charming Man**

Ichigo and Renji had managed to make their way to Ichigo's apartment. Renji had stayed silent the whole time while Ichigo had babbled about his studies, his hate- hate relationship with Uryuu who was studying at the same university as him, his still-batshit-crazy father and his two little sisters who were apparently "growing up way too fast".

Renji actually felt at home while listening to Ichigo's antics, he had been quite effectively cut out from his social circles for the past few weeks and now noticed how much he missed the company of others.

Ichigo had ordered Renji to the couch, patted him with some warm blankets and disappered to the kitchen. Renji took a look at the apartment; it was quite a traditional bachelor patch, with a huge TV, video games and DVDs scattered around the living room, walls filled with posters of action movies so that you could hardly see any wallpaper...But it was surprisingly neat and clean, with no empty beer cans or pizza boxes lying around the place. Renji felt a twinge of quilt when the thought about the state of his own place at the moment; you couldn't turn around without knocking over a empty liquor bottle or tripping on a take-away food container.

"Alright, you must be starving", Ichigo noted while carrying huge amount of snacks on a tray and laying it on the coffee table in front of Renji. He glanced at the man slouching on his couch, _he really looks like he hasn't been out for awhile. _Renji's cheeks were sunken in, his hair was greasy and tangled, his clothes looked dirty, his face was unshaven and there were bags under his eyes. Plus Ichigo was almost sure he had smelt alcohol on him when they had walked to his place. _He doesn't seem to be drunk now. Maybe he's hungover. _

"Go on, tuck in", Ichigo prompted to Renji, who looked as though he was completely somewhere else. Ichigo cocked his head to the side and rubbed his neck nervously. He wasn't used to seeing his friend like this, usually he was so loud it was almost obnoxious, always screwing around with him as much as he possibly could, annoying him to the ends of the Earth but now...Nothing. He hadn't said a word when they had walked over here, letting him do all the talking. He hadn't made a one snide comment about his studies or with his constant annoyance to Uryuu, usually he would snicker and ask when they would finally stop horsing around with each other and announce their engagement. Typical, obnoxious Renji.

But now when Ichigo looked at Renji, he realized how much he missed his friend. After his split from that bastard Grimmjow he hadn't been himself. He hadn't answered their calls or even been at home when they had tried to visit him. When Ichigo had seen his trademark red mane from across the street, he first couldn't believe his eyes. _And now there he is, looking like he's been hit a train,_ Ichigo mused to himself.

Renji could feel Ichigo's tentative gaze on him, and for the first time he felt something else than sadness and misery. He felt guilty for abandoning his friends, he felt as though he had let them down by getting himself into this mess. Renji felt his eyes prickling with something hot and tried to

blink to get rid of it but it didn't help. Soon he yet again felt hot tears streaming from his eyes.

_God, I'm such a baby! _Renji screamed mentally to himself, his emotions hadn't been in check since Grimmjow had left him. _Look at me now, what kind of a man am I, no wonder Grimmjow left me, how could anyone stand someone who cries like a baby all the time..._

"Renji, are you alright?" Ichigo was quick to be Renji's side when he saw his eyes watering with tears. He had never seen his friend in such a state. _I guess he really did love Grimmjow, _Ichigo thought while wrapping his arms around shaking Renji, who had buried his face into his hands.

"It's okay, Renji, I'm here for you", Ichigo mumbled to Renji's ear while patting him on the head quite awkwardly. Seeing a grown man cry, especially your close friend, was something he wasn't really used to.

"Look at me, I'm such a mess", Renji tried to laugh stiffly and wiped his runny nose into his palm. He turned to look at Ichigo straight into his chocolate brown eyes, noticing how soft they looked at this close. _He must think I'm an idiot, sobbing like this over another guy. _

"No, it's alright. I'm just glad I finally saw you, we've all being really worried about you. We know that Grimmjow was really important to you and of course you need time to get over him, but shutting us out isn't really helping." Ichigo's stern gaze roamed over the mess that was now Renji and he let out a small sigh.

"We need to get you sorted and back to the world of the living. But for starters, you need to eat. Look at you man, you're practically a walking skeleton, you're scaring the children!" Renji managed to let out a small chuckle at this and wiped his eyes on his sleeve.

"Alright, alright you baka. I just want to see you tasting everything first, make sure you don't try to poison me with your cookings, after all, you did learn it all from Orihime- chan, didn't you?"

Normally Ichigo would've snapped back at such comments on his charitable cooking but now he could only give Renji a quick hug, as a reward for reverting back to his old self.

"Well if you don't want it, it just means there's more for me", he chimed with exaggerated cheer and grabbed a handful of snacks to his plate.

"Hey, don't eat it all, boke, I'm the one who's starving here!", Renji croaked his voice still thick from his breakdown and grabbed himself a plate to fill.

Ichigo smiled to himself. _He's back to his old self again, if he would just now stay that way. _

Little later, when they both had filled their stomachs with Ichigo's homemade snacks, which had proved to be surprisingly tasty, Ichigo had scurried Renji into the bath (_"Christ's sake, man, have you even looked at a mirror lately, you stink! And shave that hideous beard, the girls will try to beat you up if they see you with that hobo rapist- look!") _with some encouraging words. Renji was now soaking in the bath, trying to get all the filth washed up from his mane.

_Judging by the colour of the water I really AM filthy, _he mused to himself looking at the now murky brown, grayish bathwater. _I'd better take a shower too if I want to look presentable once more._

_Strange how you change just because some individual accident_, he further contemplated while scrubbing his scalp with scolding hot water pouring over his lean body. _Just few weeks ago I wouldn't have dreamed of leaving the house in such state but now suddenly, it didn't matter. Maybe because I didn't have anyone waiting for me..._Renji shook his head to rid himself of such thoughts. _It's over, finished, kaputt, fini. No amount of crying or wallowing will bring him back, so I might as well get on with my life, just like he obviously has._

"Oi, Renji! What's taking you so long, you're wasting all my hot water! Is this how you repay my hospitality?" Renji sniggered at Ichigo's screams which only fueled his intent to stay in the shower as long as he could.

"I'm just starting to open up my voice here, please don't disturb the artist! Krhm, mi mi mi mi miiiii..." Renji sang out a terribly off-key tune before breaking into a aria of discord. Outside the bathroom door Ichigo was holding his hands to his ears but grinning widely from ear to ear. _He certainly hasn't lost his touch._

Soon Renji stopped his belting out with a loud cough and listened for Ichigo's backtalk. When he heard nothing, he shouted back:

"You could always join me if you don't want to waste any water, you know. Much more economical that way!". Ichigo, who was still standing behind the door, oddly felt tempted to slam the door open and accompany Renji beneath the hot shower. _Well, he isn't really that bad looking when you think about it, _Ichigo reflected and instantly smacked himself mentally over the head.

_He's your friend who you just found freezing himself outside of his ex's apartment, this is not the time to develop a man crush on him! _Ichigo scolded himself. Unlike Renji, he wasn't really sure about his sexual preferences. He had enjoyed checking out guys while being out on the town with Renji, but he also liked to indulge himself to some feminine beauty aswell. He had thought himself as a bisexual, but wasn't all that sure about it.

Renji had more than once in the past offered to "relieve" him from his uncertainties and help him to make up his mind, but that had just been their inside joke. Usually, on their nights on the town, if one of them was approached by some total brute, the other would quickly come to the rescue as "overly jealous boyfriend ready to kick your head in" sort of number. This had saved them both from a lot of rather unsought attention.

One time, when they both had been drunk out of their minds, they had ended up at Renji's, exchanging passionate kisses already in the hallway. They had almost got rid of their clothes but by the time things were really getting heated, Ichigo had had to throw up from Renji's third floor window, and Renji had passed out. In the morning they had woken up with the worst hangover known to man and it had been too painful to even think about the previous night. So that's that.

Ichigo was still dwelling on his musings that he hadn't noticed that the shower had been turned off. Suddenly he was bashed to the face with the bathroom door by half- clad Renji, who stared at him confusion written all over his face.

"I thought you already left baka when you didn't say anything. Guess my suggestion warped your little mind a bit too effectively", he grinned and leaned to the door frame, crossing his arms to his chest.

"I was just keeping watch that you don't spend all of my water, you boke" Ichigo muttered while rubbing his nose back to live.

"And for the record, that really hurt." Renji's face contorted to a worried puppy-eye look.

"Awww, did little Ichi have a booboo? Here, let uncle- Renji kiss it better"

Suddenly Ichigo's pain wasn't his main concern but the rapidly approaching pouting lips of Renji. Before he could decide whether to fight or to flee, Renji had already smacked a warm, moist kiss on his nose. He drew back with a shit-eating grin on his face which was far too familiar to Ichigo. _He always looked like that when he had caught some überhot guy into his net and was looking forward to a night of "fun". So why the hell is he looking at me like that?_


	3. Sweetness, I Was Only Joking

_**Another chapter in the making! I' m really starting to have huge respect for all the other writers who manage to get such long chapters written, I was up all night last night and still managed only to get three pages done! Feels like so much more but when you see it in here...Oh well, maybe I'll get better once I get my groove on, so to speak.**_

_**Still some minor typos going on, argh! My teacher would slaughter me...Hope it doesn't affect your reading experience too much.**_

_**I noticed that two people had added this story to their alerts, so happy! I have been scared to publish anything here but so far so good. **_

**Sweetness, I was only joking**

Renji couldn't hide his smile while watching the expressions change on Ichigo's face from mortified to surprised, from want to shock. _I didn't know I could have such an effect on him, _the redhead chuckled inwardly, _the carrottop doesn't know whether to glomp me or run away. _

Truth be told, before Grimmjow, Renji had been mulling over a serious crush on Ichigo and had rejoiced immensely when he had found out that he wasn't at all turned off by men. Renji wasnt't aware that he had had any serious relationships before, either with men or women. _Maybe he could be just what the doctor ordered_, Renji figured and his grin grew, if possible, even wider.

_Now he's really starting to scare me, _Ichigo thought and felt the need to backup from Renji and his predatory grin, that most likely meant business. _He's just fucking around with me to get over Grimmjow_. This thought made Ichigo's anger flare up, he'd do anything for his friend but he refused to be his boytoy.

"I'll be in the living room, you can put these on while your clothes are in the washer", he almost snapped at Renji, shoving a pile of his own fresh clothes to the redhead's arms, then turned on his heel and stomped back to the living room. Renji stared at Ichigo's back, his grin now replaced with a confused expression. _What did I do?, _he thought while scratching the back his head. _That temper of his will get him into trouble someday. And then it won't be pretty._

Renji suddenly realized how similar Ichigo and Grimmjow actually were. The notion hit him like a lightning from a clear blue sky. Their no bullshit- attitude, bad temper that could be ignited from something totally insignificant, punk looks and rude behaviour, and that similar scowl that they both sported for almost all the time, scaring away anyone who came in their way. Both listened to no authority and blurted out whatever came into their mind, which was probably the reason they didn't enjoy much popularity amongst the townsfolk.

Renji remembered how Grimmjow had complained about getting fired from his jobs all the time 'cause he kept hurling insults at his superiors. It wasn't a matter of lack of skill, Grimmjow was quick to learn anything that was thrown at him but he just couldn't keep his big mouth shut. Eventually Renji had given up on recommending him as a possbile employee to his friends since he didn't want to piss them all off with his boyfriend's behaviour.

_Ex- boyfriend, remember that, _Renji's inner voice nagged at him. _Yeah yeah, there isn't really any doubt about that, now is there? _He let out a sigh and went back to the bathroom to get changed. But he still continued to mull over the similarities between his ex and his old crush/friend. _What was it that attracted me to Grimmjow in the first place...Besides his killer looks_, Renji curled up his lips whilst an image of Grimmjow appeared in his head.

There was no denying he was an arousing sight for the sore eyes. His ripped body, tall built, messy teal hair and chiseled looks were the epitome of a bad boy. Renji's heart had fluttered the moment he had seen him the first time, not to mention the hot feeling pooling in his nether regions. Not so often he experienced such instant attraction to another guy, sure he was a flirt and all but the times he actually fell for someone were far and wide.

_Come to think of it, the last time that it happened before him was with Ichigo. _Renji could still remember when he had encountered the said carrottop for the first time ever. The memory of that still made him smile.

He had been invited to party at Rukia's place, it had been his big brother Byakuay's birthday and Rukia wanted to throw him a surprise party. The theme had been a masqueradem, so Renji had gone there dressed up as a ninja, complete with the all black, skintight catsuit and a katana. His red hair was tamed to a tight braid and his face covered with a black hood. He had first skulked around the mansion that was Rukia's house and climbed in through the balcony.

There he had almost scared the life out of a young man dressed up as pirate, who had been leaning against the balcony, deep in thought. When Renji had appeared from the darkness, the young man had screamed in surprise and fallen down on his butt, trying to escape from the sudden intruder. Renji couldn't help but laugh his head off at first, and then help the still in shock youngster back on his feet. He had introduced himself and noticed how good looking the young pirate actually was.

"_The sexiest pirate I have ever seen"_, he even remembered saying with a wink, making the younger man blush furiously. He had finally been able to tell that his name was Ichigo, which had made Renji chuckle even more.

"_Well you do look tasty, I can say that", _he had remarked, loving the ever darkening blush on his sweet young face.

They had been interrupted by Rukia, who had heard the ruckus and came out to check what it was all about. She had smacked Renji on the head for scaring her guests and scooted Ichigo back inside.

"_Be gentle with him Renji, he's pretty inexperienced and doesn't need a gigolo like you to spoil him from everyone else", _she had warned him, but to no avail. Renji had found his fun for that night, and had effectively bumped into Ichigo every chance possible.

Nothing had happened though, and after the party they had first met regularly through Rukia and later on they had started to hang out together just the two of them. They noticed they had much in common, and had gone on to spent most of their time together by arguing over petty stuff and pretty much trying not to kill each other every chance they got, but that was their way of communicating.

Also, Renji could always make Ichigo laugh his head off with his stupid jokes and rough humour, whereas Ichigo was able to make Renji split his sides with his sarcastic and witty comments about anything and everyone, and through the years they had developed such an amount of inside jokes that no one else was able to keep up anymore. Others had grown accustomed to that they would always show up everywhere together and almost always end up leaving together aswell, though in between they both would shuttle across the crowd, making people laugh and esnure everyone had the time of their lives.

Renji chuckled to himself once again, dwelling on the memories of their past adventures. _Guess I have really missed them all... Especially Ichigo._

Ichigo was flipping through the channels when Renji came back to the living room, looking a bit more like his old self this time. He had braided his long red mane loosely so it wouldn't drip water all over the place, changed into Ichigo's comfy cotton trousers but left his upper body bare. Ichigo had seen his friend half- naked before, but now, even though he was skinnier than usual, he couldn't help but to marvel at his physique.

Renji's upper body and arms were decorated with black tribal tattooes that accentuated his muscular built and even went on to his forehead, where he had even had his eyebrows tattooed. Usually Renji wore somesort of bandana on his forehead but now it seemed he had lost all interest in his looks. _But I don't think he could look bad, even he tried_. _Though he did look quite beaten up before and he's still too skinny and yet..._Once again Ichigo had to mentally slap himself to stop gawking at Renji, who had now walked over to the window and lighted up a cigarette.

A cool breeze of night air whiffed into the room, making Ichigo shiver. It was late autumn and the nights were getting colder and colder. Renji didn't seem to be bothered, despite his half- naked state. He inhaled the smoke deeply, and puffed it out of the window into the darkness.

"I hope you don't mind", he noted to Ichigo waving the cigarettte in his hand. Ichigo shook his head, thought inwardly he thought he would need to get Renji some nicotine patches or gum to rid him of that habit. _It isn't healthy to have a constant reminder of Grimmjow with him all the time. _

Renji felt a chill run through his body when he stood at the open window, breathing out smoke to the night air. _I suppose I'd need to rid myself of this, _he mused to himself looking at the cigarette in his hand. _Though I'm usually not a quitter. Maybe I'll change the brand first and go on from there. _He inhaled the cigarette one last time before chucking it out of the window. Renji closed the window and legged to the couch, where he stooped down next to Ichigo, or almost on top of him.

"Hey, watch out boke!" Ichigo yelled while trying to fend off Renji, only to be slapped in the face by his braided, damp hair. _What is it with him and my face today? _Ichigo appraised trying to wipe his face dry on his sleeve.

"Oh, is it your time to blubber now, Berry-head?" Renji chuckled beside him, enjoying the pained look on his friend's face. Ichigo glared at him under his scowl, but Renji had grown accustomed to such looks over the years and only laughed it off, slapping Ichigo on the back.

"Don't worry, Ichi. It will all pass." Ichigo shook his head, maybe it wasn't such a great idea trying to cheer Renji up. _Possibly it would've been smarter to invite the others here aswell. But I don't think they would've appreciated me calling them in the middle of the night, even though it is about Renji. _

Ichigo contemplated on their mutual friends for a moment. Chad, Rukia, Uryuu, Orihime, Tatsuki, Byakyua, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Rangiku, Shuuhei...they had all been worried sick over Renji for the last few weeks. Normally he would be the first to suggest a get-together, ring them all up and demand them to "get of their lardy arses and go get drunk!", as he so eloquently expressed it. Renji was always the life of the party, chatting everybody up, making sure they were enjoying themselves and most importantly, having enough to drink.

On top of all that, Renji was always, quite oddly, flirting with all the girls, making them blush and fiddle with their hair nervously. Often he chose those who were sitting alone in the corner, shyly just observing all others having fun. Renji would go over to them, offer them drinks, make them laugh and then introduce them to one of his straight male friends. Then he himself would quickly disappear and start to oggle at the hottest guys in the party. Many of their male friends had Renji to thank for their dates.

Ichigo was in a way glad of his "special" relationship with Renji, they had been best friends for few years, ever since they had met in Rukia's party. _That's one encounter I can never live down_, Ichigo snorted to himself, still bit embarrased by his shock that day. But it felt nice that such a popular and lively guy like Renji saw him as his equal and liked to spent time with him.

Ichigo had never been very popular and was used to being lonely. He wasn't a people person and even most of his friends didn't really know him very well. He was considered scary and cold towards other, even rude. But since he'd started hanging out more with Renji, he had become more open and self- confident with other people, he had realized he actually could make people laugh with his comments and if he loosened up a little, others weren't so scared of his intimidating looks and his angry scowl.

Even his closer friends were surprised to see Ichigo laughing and smiling while he was with Renji, they knew he was a nice guy and all but they had never seen him so relaxed and at ease with someone. Maybe he had just needed someone as loud and in-your-face- type of guy as Renji to lure Ichigo out of his tough guy act.

Renji was now flipping through the channels, glancing at Ichigo from time to time. _He's been having that dreamy look in his eyes for some time now. Maybe the door did hit him quite hard. _Renji let out a loud yawm, stretching his arms above his head and cracking his neck to the side. The sound seemed to get Ichigo out of his trance and Renji could once again feel his young, innocent eyes all over his naked upper body.

_Yup, still got it, no doubt about that. _

"You know I don't mind you oggling at me, Ichigo, but if you want it all you have to do is ask me nicely", Renji grinned at his friend. He loved to see his face turn all red in embarrassement, he know Ichigo didn't have the guts to spit out what he really wanted. _No one looks that cute when they're all flushed...I would like to know if he looks like that when he's been completely satiated after a long, hot night between the sheets. _

Renji could feel that familiar, hot feeling pooling in his groin once again and had to stop himself from taking his thoughts any further. _Getting a hard-on right now wouldn't excatly be the type of response one would expect from his friend who's just been through a terrible break-up and been consoled by his closest friend, to whom he happened to have a huge crush from the moment he saw him in a pirate suit years ago dressed as ninja himself...Now I'm not making any sense at all. _

"Oi, Renji, did you hear me? I asked do you want to sleep in my bed so I can take the couch", Ichigo snapped his fingers in front of Renji's dazed face. The redhead startled out of his thoughts and looked Ichigo straight in the eyes. _Why is it that I always fall for guys with such horrible facial expressions_, he thought to himself looking at Ichigo's ever deepening scowl that had once again regained itself on his face.

"Sure thing, Ichi. But why don't you come and keep me warm with your lovely, lithe and young body?" Renji asked huskily, letting Ichigo feel his warm breath on his skin. To his surprise, the younger man didn't seem so phased as before and only rolled his eyes at his remark.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever Renji, just get your ass up so I can get some sleep. You look like you could need some of that too." Renji realized that the joke had gone far enough and smiled at his friend submissively.

"Fine, fine, I'll take the bed", he answered and pushed himself off the couch, "but do consider my offer if the couch proves to be unpleasant".

Ichigo barely huffed while trying to fluff up the pillows on the couch.

"You never change, do you Renji", he addressed to his friend, with a wry smile on his face. He shot yet one more look at Renji who was already disappearing into the hallway that lead to his bedroom.

"Never do, Berry!", he heard him shout the answer. Ichigo couldn't help but the laugh.

_I'm glad,Renji. I'm glad._


	4. I Thought Of Other Things

_**I've started to notice the cons about not planning my story very well, since there are a few inconsistencies in it already :D And my chapters look like a MESS! Geez, I really need to preview them before publishing, embarrassing. So if suddenly it all stops making sense don't worry...It's not you, it's me. I also upped the rating now, I' really not sure how quickly things are going to progress so just to be on the safe side.**_

_**And I would be really pleased if more people posted reviews on this story. I'd like to know if I'm doing anything right here or is it all just…Oh well, I enabled anonymous reviews now, waiting for the flames to start appearing :D Hopefully the silent majority actually enjoys this. We'll see. PS. Also great to see that few Finns are reading my story, feel free to leave comments in Finnish if you want to. **_

_**I Thought Of Other Things**_

The following morning Ichigo woke up with his whole body aching. He had managed to kick the blanket to the floor and shove his pillow between the cushions, so his neck was in a total cramp. He had also succeeded to sleep on his left arm, so it was completely numb, which made getting up from the couch extra difficult. On top of that, his back gave him hell since the couch didn't really offer any support for his spine.

Trying to wriggle up from the couch finally resulted in Ichigo crashing down to the floor with a loud string of curses. _A perfect start to a perfect day, I'd presume_, he brooded and decided to put off getting up for just a few more minutes. His eyelids felt heavy. _Actually the floor is quite comfortable here, maybe I'll rest my eyes for a minute then get up and make some coffee...Yeah, that sounds just great..._Ichigo felt around him on the floor and pulled the blanket over his body. _So warm..._

Renji was also waking up in Ichigo's room. Unlike his friend, he had slept well for the first time in weeks, being finally able to relax not having the walls closing in like in his own apartment. Plus he had been drinking almost constantly for the last few weeks so waking up sober and without a hangover was a very welcome change. _Wonder if Berry has already made me some coffee, he always the most expensive stuff around…_

Still dreaming about a steaming hot cup of black coffee Renji flew his feet off the bed and stretched his arms up in the air. His back and neck gave out a loud crack, one night in a decent bed still wasn't able to perform miracles after two weeks in the skip. But he did feel all the better after last night, he was clean, his head wasn't hammering and his first thought when waking up hadn't been about Grimmjow.

_Shouldn't have thought about that, _he scolded himself while walking over to the window and peering through the blinds. But unlike the weeks before, now thinking about not waking up next to Grimmjow didn't actually feel so bad. _If I knew that all I needed was some sympathy and company of another person I would've saved myself a lot of time and money. And cigarettes._

But Renji knew that wasn't the whole truth. He had a strong feeling that not just any person could've made him feel better. Sure Ichigo was his best friend but there was more to it. His attraction towards him hadn't really faded away even though he had kept it under control and almost forgot about it for the past year since he didn't want to scare off Ichigo until he was completely sure of his preferences.

_Besides, he is way too good a friend to me that I could just have a fling with him. I know it would never be the same if that happened. _Renji now remembered how he had realized the similarities between his ex and Ichigo and the notion troubled him now more than it had. Yesterday he had thought that he just had a very particular taste in men but maybe that wasn't it.

_Was I attracted to Grimmjow because he reminded me of Ichigo or am I now feeling suddenly better because Ichigo reminds me of Grimmjow?_ Of course there were magnificent differences between the two men, Ichigo was actually capable of acting civil whereas Grimmjow was just plain evil at times, even to his closest friends. _Or lovers, _Renji noted raising his eyebrows and instinctively touching his neck where his ex had so many times left his bite marks.

_You could always tell when you had been with Grimmjow, if from nothing else then from the bruises. _Grimmjow loved to mark his prey, no matter if they were his lovers and his enemies. _If you're gonna cross paths with him, he'll make sure you remember it weeks to come, _Renji mused, still massaging the back of his neck.

_I can't picture Ichigo biting into someone's neck until he draws blood. Or pounding someone's face into such mush that even their mother's couldn't recognize. _Renji shuddered at the memory of having to watch Grimmjow "work". Because of his temper, the only jobs he could actually do without much trouble, were delivering "messages" from gangsters to their respectable clientele. And in most cases, they were pretty nasty messages.

_Oh, and then of course there was the band_. Grimmjow and some of his thug friends had an underground punk band which only performed in the most shady of places, that kind of places where you were sure to get your head kicked in if you even looked at someone the wrong way. And mostly the wrong way was that you even looked at them.

Apparently the band enjoyed some kind of a cult reputation amongst the underworld of the town, mostly because all the members, including Grimmjow, were among the most feared and well- known ruffians in the whole area. Renji hadn't been aware of Grimmjow's dubious status before he met him. _How did I even end up in that dump they were playing that night? Probably had something to do with Ikkaku and that boss of his, Zaraki…He's one fucked up guy, _Renji hemmed to himself and shook his head while picturing Ikkaku's boss in his mind.

The man must be at least two meters tall and Renji had never seen a man with more scars_. And what's with the hair, as if he isn't getting enough attention as it is, he has to style it to those crazy spikes. And the bells, geez. I would've never thought the sound of bells tingling could actually sound so…blood curling. Plus the eye patch doesn't really help. I really should ask Ikkaku how he ended up working for that guy._

Anyway, Renji had somehow ended up in this weird old bar, if you could call a place with some blanks on barrels working as counter and few crates as tables a bar, it was more like an old cellar with some thumbing techno music blasting from some stereos. Renji had already been in a bit state at that point so he had just gone up to the counter and ordered a whisky, the thing he got though was more like some homemade booze. _God knows what was in that glass, but I guess I really didn't care_.

Suddenly the music had gone quiet and some lights were lit up in the back of the so called bar. There had been a makeshift stage with some big ass speakers and instruments on it, as if some band was going to play there. And soon enough the stage was taken by some of the weirdest looking guys Renji had ever seen.

The drummer was huge guy wit a weird coloured Mohawk, he looked like he could rip your arms right off if you rubbed him the wrong way. The bass player was a tall, lanky sort of fellow with long black hair and that grin of his was even creepier than Zaraki's. And that is saying a lot.

The key board player was an emo- looking guy with black hair and huge green eyes. Renji had been able to tell the colour of his eyes even way back from the counter. The guy had no expression on his face, he just stared straight ahead with his fingers on the keyboard.

The lead guitarist had been yawning the whole time when the others were tuning in their instruments, he was a long, skinny guy with messed up hair and he looked as though he was just about to fall asleep standing up. _What an odd looking band, _Renji remembered thinking through the haze of his suspicious drink.

The hall had gone all silent when the band had appeared on stage and everyone was waiting for something, or someone. You could had almost felt it in the air, the anticipation was starting to grow with every second. All lights had went out and in the darkness, a first, low chord was struck from the bass. The other players had soon joined in, playing some sort of electric punk with vicious beats and a quick tempo. Then the spotlights had been lit and they had been focused on the lead singer, who had grabbed the microphone and started to sing with a voice that Renji could only describe as savage, but it fitted right in with the music.

Renji wasn't really paying attention to the music at that point anymore, his ears had been filled the sound of his own heart pounding faster and faster. Maybe it was partly because of the booze but still he had been totally smitten by the lead singer, Grimmjow.

Grimmjow had looked hot as fuck on stage, he mesmerized everyone and took control of the whole room with his presence. His trained muscles gleamed in the spotlight, his blue hair looked as if it was made of pure electricity and his piercing blue eyes seemed to look straight at Renji. His performance had been also quite impressive, he had jumped around the stage, at times screaming from the top of his lungs and in other parts almost growling low like a beast. The whole bar had been ecstatic and the people had started to party and basically just trash the place.

At first it seemed the gig was going on forever but when it did stop, it felt as if it had lasted just a few minutes. The ambience had still lingered in the room, and people had crowded in front of the stage to mingle with the band. The drummer had quickly made his way to the counter, the bass player had just swooned down from the stage and soon had had two girls giggling in his arms. The keyboard player and the guitarist had disappeared somewhere behind the stage.

Renji seemed to have woken up from a daze when the music had stopped and he had to take a few minutes to recollect himself. He had decided to order one more beer and then head home, when a strong arm had landed on his shoulder. The redhead had turned around and seen the lead singers malicious grin inches away from his face.

"_Can I buy a drink",_ he had asked, or it was more a statement. You just don't say "no" to Grimmjow.

They had ended up in Renji's flat that night, and he had been genuinely surprised to wake up next to Grimmjow. He had figured he would've beat it as soon as possible. But Grimmjow wanted to stay.

"_I don't usually ask people out after I've slept with them but with you I'm gonna make an exception", _he had grinned at Renji, but now his voice was filled with lusty promises and his smile was teasing and provocative. Who could refuse that?

Renji shook his head to concentrate on the now. _I really do have a horrible taste in men. Either they are young innocent little virgin friends of mine or vicious hot-headed thugs. Why can't I just fall into some cute openly gay guy who works in a nail salon or something like that. _Even the thought of such possibility made the tattooed man laugh out loud. _Might as well become straight, get a house from the country side and have few kids and a Labrador. Perish the thought._

His thoughts were interrupted by the rumbling of his stomach. Yester night's snacks hadn't been that filling and now he could feel his whole body aching for food. And caffeine.

Renji strolled into the living room and the first thing he saw was Ichigo sprawled across the floor, clutching to a blanket and in deep sleep. His chest was steadily rising and falling and his regular breaths fanned his bangs off his face with every exhale. _He really needs a haircut, _Renji smiled to himself and cocked his head to the side. _Or I don't know, he looks kinda cute with longer hair. And older. Less like a jailbait. _

The red head snorted to himself. _God I'm awful, _he chuckled while walking to Ichigo and crouching down beside him. The youngster looked so peaceful, his nose twitching once in awhile, his one hand gripping on the blanket and the other supporting his head little off the floor. Renji just looked at him for some time, not wanting to wake him up but finally his ache for coffee won over him and he nudged Ichigo gently with his knee.

There was no reaction. Ichigo flinched a little and drew himself into fetal position. Renji huffed and looked at his friend with a wry smile gracing his features. _If he starts to suck on his thumb he'll never hear the end of it, I promise that._

But still anxious to get his daily dose of caffeine, Renji decided to rely on more drastic measures. He grabbed the blanket and snatched it off from Ichigo while rising to stand up.

"Wake up, sunshine and smell the coffee! Or more likely the lack of it, what kind of an inn are you running here?" he bellowed to the startled youngster who was trying to open his eyes.

"Renji, what the fuck", he mumbled rubbing his temples, "I was having a good dream..."

"No doubt about me. And how you would just love to make me some of that coffee you keep hidden behind the sink", Renji grinned down on Ichigo who was again sprawled across the floor with a giving-in expression.

"Fine fine, I'll get you your stupid coffee", he murmured while fighting to get up, not mentioning that he didn't actually planned on falling asleep on the floor and getting busted by the very much amused Renji. And that he himself was also dying for some coffee.

When Ichigo finally scrambled himself off the floor and made his way into the kitchen Renji decided to follow suit. It was way much more fun to watch Ichigo bustle around in his apartment than watch morning TV.

The kitchen was pretty small, with the fridge, sink and the counters on one side and a small dining table with two chairs beside the window. Renji sat down on one of the chairs, leaned his head in his hands and tried to make his friend as uncomfortable as possible with his piercing stare following his every move.

After a moment of enduring being gawked at by Renji Ichigo glared at him over his shoulder.

"Is this your concept of morning entertainment", he hissed while filling the coffee machine. The tattooed man just smiled at him and started to play with his braided red mane.

"Well I think I have already established that you are most easy on these weary eyes of mine, especially in this cold light of morning", he orated, shooting a wry look at the younger man from under his tattooed brows. He then leaned back on the chair and drummed his fingers on his refined abdomen, distracting Ichigo in the most profound way from his coffee making task.

_Fuck you Renji, do you have to stroll around here half- naked all the time, _he groaned inwardly and tried to concentrate more on the coffee machine and less on his friends attempts to seduce him. Because that's what it was to him.

_I don't know what he's playing at but it ain't gonna happen. _Ichigo sneaked a peek over his shoulder to Renji who was now looking out of the window, looking absolutely stunning with the morning sun shining on his tanned skin, making his tattoos seem so real Ichigo almost waited them to sliver out of his skin. He quickly turned his eyes away and tried to remember how many cups he was planning to make.

_Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it! You're only making it worse for yourself! Christ, I can't have him stay here for long, I'll go crazy if he keeps that up. _Ichigo was now almost beating his coffeemaker, projecting his feelings into the innocent kitchen appliance. Renji was looking at him curiously with his other tattooed eyebrow raised.

_Berry is starting to lose his cool. It's kinda fun to watch actually, I haven't seem him this livid since…Well, since that thing with Orihime- chan. But that was a totally different story from this._

_Anywho, better to take his mind off me and onto something else before he either mauls me or throws my ass out of here._

"So, do you have any lessons today?", Renji asked gazing out the window. Ichigo instantly seemed more relaxed, being on a safer zone of topics. He even let out a small laugh.

"Geez Renji, how out are you? It's Saturday, remember?" Ichigo turned to smile to his friend.

"I was actually mean to ask you how you've been handling your garage lately, I went there but Shuuhei said he hasn't seen you either." Renji breathed out deeply and rocked back on his chair crossing his arms to his chest.

"Yeah, guess I haven't been really handling things that well. Was Shuuhei angry, do I dare to show my face there anymore?"

"He did seem a bit pissed but you know him, he can handle his own quite well", Ichigo grinned, "actually you should consider leaving all the paperwork to him, he seems to be much more at home with it than you." Renji scoffed at his friends notion.

"I may not be as fancy and literate as you, Ichigo, but I think I can deal with a few papers just fine."

"I'm not saying you're stupid Renji, only implying it" the carrottop sneered tapping the counter with his longer fingers. The tattooed man gave him the old stinky eye which made Ichigo chuckle even more.

"Just kidding…but seriously, you should let Shuuhei do your paperwork, I know you really hate it anyway." His friend only jeered at this but Ichigo could see that Renji was actually considering it. He hated dealing with papers, he was much happier when he got to work with his hands.

_I remember when I once went to see him at his garage…God he looked gorgeous with his arms and face smudged with motor oil, wearing that white tank top and those jeans that make his ass look like it's sculpted…Why on Earth was he wearing a white tank top in a garage?_ Ichigo began to question his memory, maybe he was just sexing it up for his own personal fantasies.

"Is the coffee ready yet?" the redhead asked him, pointing at the coffee maker. Ichigo took two cups from his cupboard and poured the steaming black liquid into them. He then took some milk from the fridge and added it to his own cup and dropped four pieces of sugar to Renji's. He cringed inwardly to his friend's combined caffeine and sugar addiction but it didn't seem to make him that much harm, yet. Plus it was total waste of time trying to talk him out of it so he had given up a long time ago.

He carried the two cups to the table, laid them on it and sat down, gulping half of his own coffee in one go. Renji sniggered at this and tasted his own coffee much more casually, he liked to take his time with his first cup of coffee of the day_. Ichigo is probably so used to just rush out to the university straight from bed that he can't enjoy those little moments when one can just be_, Renji pondered sipping his coffee. _But he does have the best coffee in town, dunno where he gets it, my first guess would be that he smuggles it from abroad._

"Well since it's Saturday maybe we could round up the others and go out", Ichigo proposed having drunk all his coffee already, "they would be really glad to hear from you. And I could really use a drink tonight", he finished, stretching his arms out, cracking his back. _Never sleep on the couch, ever again._

Renji tapped his chin with his fingers. Going out and seeing everyone did sound tempting…But there was always the danger of bumping into Grimmjow, he often liked to tour the in the nightlife if the town.

"So, what do you say?" Ichigo pushed on, "you say yes, right?". Renji looked at his friend and suddenly felt completely unable to turn down anything when Ichigo was looking at him that way. _Damn him and his puppy dog eyes_, Renji cursed to himself and nodded in agreement, taking another sip from his coffee.

Ichigo smiled widely with glee and rushed to the living room to look for his cell phone.

"I knew you'd say yes Renji! I'll call Rangiku, she can get the word around quickly." Renji stayed in the kitchen quietly savoring the rest of his coffee, making faces when the last bits of sugar made contact with his tongue.

_Hope I don't have to regret this later on._

6


	5. I Cannot Stand The Way You Tease

**Progressing slowly here with Renji and Ichigo…But as said, I'd like the story to go on naturally and since Renji is still a bit confused about his feelings for Ichigo and Ichigo thinks he's just trying to find someone to get over Grimmjow it's all a bit messy. And I'm writing more background stories the whole time to set things up so it's not just all smut without a plot. But I'm planning to get those two in business, the fic is now almost living on its own and I just write what feels good. Writing has eased now that I've got started, hope it all doesn't fall to pieces. But a little action promised in this chapter, keep on reading!**

_**I Cannot Stand The Way You Tease**_

Renji sat in the kitchen and listened to Ichigo chatter on the phone with Rangiku. Their mutual lady friend was a total party animal, never turning down a chance to paint the town red. She would be ecstatic for getting a chance to doll up and turn heads wherever they would go tonight.

Even as a gay man Renji couldn't deny that Rangiku was a stunning woman. Her curves were more than ample, her long strawberry blond hair flowed beautifully around her and she had all the facial features of a classical beauty. Renji could easily understand why men everywhere drooled after her, but surprisingly few had the guts to come and talk to her. Usually the ones to approach her were either very drunk, full of themselves or assholes.

_Wonder if she'll bring Gin with him this time, has he already comeback from his "business trip"? _Renji wasn't sure if Rangiku knew what Gin really did for living, his public job title was a travelling consultant or something like that. But Renji knew that in fact Gin was a dealer for the big criminal kingpin of the town. He had run into him in some club where he had been watching Grimmjow perform. _That was an awkward encounter if I ever had one, Gin couldn't get away from me faster. I have to ask Rangiku if she knows anything, if Gin gets her into trouble I'll be out for his blood for it._

Ichigo came walking to the kitchen with his cell phone still glued to his ear.

"Yeah I know", he smiled while talking and leaned on the door frame "yeah, he's sitting right there in front of me, do you wanna talk to him?" Renji swiveled in his chair to face Ichigo, he had a feeling he would need to catch to phone in flight quite soon.

"All right, I'll put him on", Ichigo said and threw his phone to Renji, who catched it midair and shook his head in a contemning way. He placed the phone few inches away from his ear and shouted greetings to his friend.

"Renji, you rat bastard why haven't you called us you slimy jerk we have all been worried sick about you, Rukia is absolutely furious…" Renji held the phone at arms length to save himself from the deafening effect of Rangiku's ranting. He should have known to expect such an overreaction from Rangiku, she was well-known for her flaming temper and how her mood could change from joyous to a raging anger in a split second, given the right kind of provocation.

Luckily most of the time she was absolutely cutesy and charming young lady, but in a tight spot she could easily take down any man. _Hope I won't be next in line for her tear downs, it would probably take me weeks to cover from it._

"Listen Ran, I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark but I needed some time for myself. And I didn't want you to see the state I was", Renji pleaded with his most heart rendering tone. Even Ichigo seemed moved, or maybe he was just holding back being sick.

Renji could hear Rangiku slowly fuming down and someone mumbling to her in the background.

"Alright, alright…Okay Renji, I'll forgive you. Do you want me to go give Grimmjow a piece of my mind? I'd be happy to", she cooed. Renji barked a laugh and shook his head. Not even Grimmjow deserved such a treatment.

"I'll think about it. But I'll be seeing you and the others tonight, right?"

"Yeah, I'll round the people up and we'll hit the town! Oh Renji, I'm so glad you're back, I've missed you so much! Make sure you look gorgeous, we need to get you back on the dating scene as soon as possible! Give my love to Ichi, bye!".

Renji heard a click signaling Rangiku had hung up the phone. Ichigo looked at him with his eyebrows raised.

"So, what did she say? On top of calling you a right bastard", he grinned. Renji huffed and threw the phone back at its rightful owner.

"She said not to bring you along since no bouncer will let us in if you tag along, you look like you just crawled out of your cradle", he snickered. In fact Renji was only five years older than Ichigo, but it was enough to tease him about his age from time to time.

Ichigo jeered and threw his head back.

"Uryuu, Orihime and Chad are the same age as me, so you can stop pissing about my age, old man."

"Yeah, but Uryuu looks like he was born middle- aged, Orihime is so hot that the bouncers let her in for free and Chad looks as if he could tear the building down with his bare hands. As for you, you just look like you're gonna start trouble the minute you get in."

Ichigo silently fumed and instinctively grasped his orange locks. He had always been a target to ruffians looking for someone to beat up ever since he was a young boy, just because he was easy to pick out with his unusual hair colour. In a way it was good since he had learned to stick up for himself because of all the taunting and beatings, he was now able to take on any random thug who crossed his path. His dad had also trained him well, with his everyday incidental sneak attacks around the house.

_Ah, the crazy old man…I haven't visited them in a while, Karin will probably have my head in a stick if I don't show up soon. _Ichigo had been so caught up in his studies lately that it had been weeks since his last visit back home. His sisters were already in their teens and Ichigo was stunned every time he saw them, he had in someway thought they'd always be his two little sisters but now they were already planning their own university careers and futures. _Time flies_, Ichigo hummed and made a mental promise to call them later today.

Renji got up from his chair and walked up to Ichigo. He hadn't meant to hurt his friend, he knew what a hard time he had had just because some idiots thought it was somehow wrong to have orange hair. Personally Renji loved Ichigo's hair, it went perfectly with his brown eyes and tanned skin.

_Though it clashes horribly with mine, Rangiku's always complaining how awful we look when we are drinking together with our heads banged against each other, trying to form a sentence. But usually we just end up rolling under the table laughing our heads off, _Renji recollected and couldn't help but to smile remembering all their crazy nights out, which mostly ended with them being completely shitfaced and barely making it home from the bar.

Most of their friends were usually in no better shape, except for Chad, there didn't seem the be enough booze in the world to get that man drunk. Rukia usually left early with his big brother, Renji didn't even get why he bothered to come in the first place_. Maybe to protect his little sister's honour or some bullshit like that. Shuuhei is always in a state, as is Kira, Rangiku keeps their glasses the whole time and those two idiots are so over their heads in love with her that they'd do anything she says. Maybe Shuuhei and Kira should start dating, that's probably the best match they could get. _

Orihime and Uryuu had at first been quiet drinkers but now that they had started going out they both had somehow relaxed, Uryuu wasn't so stuck up when Orihime was around and she had become calmer and less ditzy. They tended to end up together in a quiet corner, snuggling and being obnoxiously cute in their flushed state. Tatsuki and Chad usually helped them all home, those two were the guardian angels of their little group. It was good to have someone watch over you so that you didn't pass out in a skip somewhere.

Yumichika and Ikkaku were usually keeping them company underneath the table, drunken out of their minds. They were just worse since they tended to get all touchy feely with each other when they had had enough to drink and in that point the others normally kicked them out, telling them to get a room. _Maybe that could me and Berry here one day, _Renji wondered and had to instantly kick himself for such dirty thoughts. _This night will by a total catastrophe if I even think about lusting after Ichigo now, when I've had enough I'll tend to get really…Hands on approach, let's put it that way. _

"Ah come on, Berry, you know you're gorgeous, you just go get your party pants so that we can hit it", Renji exclaimed and slapped Ichigo's ass firmly while walking past him to the living room. This distracted Ichigo from his fuming so effectively that he when finally bounced back Renji was already disappeared.

_Geez Renji, do you really have to be like that? This night will be a total disaster if I keep fantasizing about him all the time, I promised no to give in! But God that felt good…_Ichigo blushed fiercely at the notion and smacked himself on the head. _Damn my frustrated libido, damn it to hell! And damn Renji and that perfect body of his! I'll have to wear a chastity belt of some sort if I wish to stay untouched for the whole evening._

Ichigo was still scolding himself when he walked back to the living room right when Renji strolled back from his bedroom, now wearing a shirt. _Thank God for that!_ Ichigo cheered mentally.

"Are my clothes clean yet, I need to go back to my apartment before we hit the town", the red head asked while combing his braid open with his fingers.

"They should be, I'll go get them", Ichigo replied and started to put on his trainers. The laundry rooms were in the cellars so he'd have to go down three stories to collect them. Ichigo grabbed the laundry basket that was beside the door when he noticed Renji was putting on his boots.

"You don't need to come along you know, I can handle it myself."

"Yeah I know but I don't want you to leave me", Renji grinned in response.

Ichigo sneered at him.

"Well grab the keys then so we don't get locked out." Renji nodded and picked up the keys that were hanging from a nail pounded into the wall. He scoffed.

"Very original decoration style you got going on there Berry."

"Shut up, Pineapple." Renji bursted out laughing when they walked out of the apartment and started walking down the stairs.

"I'd almost forgotten about that, did you come up with that all by yourself?"

"Nah, I negotiated with others and they all agreed." The red head huffed and flicked his long red man with proud.

"You're all just jealous. Especially Ikkaku. "

"Yeah, that must be it…" Ichigo said rolling his eyes.

"Hey, I saw that!" Renji shouted and tried to clutch the collar of Ichigo's shirt. The younger man dodged with ease, stuck out his tongue and started to run down. Soon they were both sprinting down the stairs, sidestepping carefully when confronting some of the other tenants of the building shouting a quick "Sorry!" after them.

In no time they were at the laundry room's door, both panting and leaning into the hallway walls, trying to catch their breath. Ichigo rested his hands to his knees and grinned to Renji.

"I knew I'd beat you, old man." The redhead scoffed and shook his head.

"You just had a head start, and I had to dodge that old granny."

Ichigo chuckled and straightened himself up. _Maybe living in the fifth floor has its disadvantages after all, _he mused patting his pockets for the keys to the laundry room. He heard a jingling sound from Renji's direction and saw him holding the keys, smirking from under his red man that had partly glued to his forehead and neck.

"Guess you'll be needing these?" It was Ichigo turn to scoff as he tried to snatch the keys from Renji. But he drew his hand back and raised it above his head.

"Come and get it, kiddo." Even though Ichigo had grown a bit in their years of friendship, Renji was still a few inches taller than him, a fact that he liked to remind Ichigo of every now and then.

The younger man was still fuelled up from the race down the staircase and though he usually would just ignore Renji knowing that he grew tired of this kind of games quite quickly, now he felt like going along with his friends musings. He stepped closer to Renji, closing the distance between them and reached for the keys in his hand. Still smirking, Renji only threw the keys to his other hand and hid it behind his back.

_Let's see how long he dares to keep with this. _Ichigo was now only inches away from Renji and their still little puffed breaths were mingled together. Ichigo rolled his eyes to his friends antics and stretched his hand behind Renji's back, but he placed the keys to his other hand, now swapping the keys from hand to hand.

"Whatcha gonna do, Berry? Getting too difficult?" he sneered, blowing few hairs away from his face and at the same time letting Ichigo feel his breath on his face. The younger man snorted and wrapped both of his arms around Renji, trying to get hold of his hands. When he locked his hands to Renji's wrists, he suddenly realized to position they were in. Their chest were bumping to against each other and their faces were side by side, their cheeks almost touching.

_Goddammit Renji, you played me all along, _he cursed mentally and tried to quickly conjure up an idea to escape the situation gracefully. It proofed to be quite difficult since he really didn't want to release Renji's hands but only pull him even closer. If he just backed off it would seem he detested him, which was not what he wanted him to think. It didn't really help that _he_ was obviously enjoying the whole situation, changing his position that now their thighs were almost rubbing together. Ichigo didn't even want to think about the hot feeling pooling in his groin, fearing that it would only set it off.

He could hear Renji chuckling lowly, it sounded almost like a growl or purr coming out of his throat. _I wonder what sounds he would make if I leaned in a little closer still_…Before Ichigo could stop himself from acting out his thoughts, his body had already taken the iniative. He closed the rest of the distance between them, making their lower bodies come into contact with each other. He instantly shivered by the sensation of feeling Renji's warm body against his and suddenly wanted to nuzzle his head against the crook of his neck, to inhale his scent.

He could feel his hands instinctively loosing their grip on Renji's wrists and moving to his waist. His own breath was now caught in his throat, making him feel little dizzy. Or maybe it was for all that blood that had pooled down to his groin from his head. He could feel a blush creeping to his face when he realized that Renji could most certainly feel his bulging erection through his soft cotton pants. _This is why people use underwear! Though even that wouldn't save me now…_

Renji's thoughts were spinning like a merry-go-round. He had known that he was pushing the envelope with teasing Ichigo this much but he hadn't expected such a reaction, well maybe in his wildest dreams but not really. ..He had thought Ichigo would've pulled away when he had gripped hold of his wrists but no, he had done the exact opposite. _I have him right where I wanted now...And I have no idea what to do._

The redhead was surprised that he could still feel so nervous around someone, he had thought the days of being coy and innocent like a virgin were long gone but now when Ichigo's lean body was pressed against him he suddenly felt nervous like hell. _If I screw this up now, there's no second chance. Ever. That's it, finito, kaput, gone. Play this cool, Renji, you goddamn ape._

Ichigo was staring at the edge of Renji's tattoo that went down from his neck and disappeared under his shirt. He didn't dare to look at Renji's face, the situation was way too tense. He feared that Renji might be laughing at him, the way he was so frozen and shaking in his boots. It would be too embarrassing to see his wide grin right now, mocking him for his delusions that Renji might _actually_ like him as more than a friend. _He flirts with everyone, even girls…Why would I be so different from everyone else?_

_Shit Berry, you're making this so goddamn difficult! Just look at me!_ Renji was screaming mentally. He wasn't sure if Ichigo was so petrified because of his unwanted erection or because he didn't know how to make the next move. He seemed to find his neck very interesting indeed, staring at it like he was going to sink his teeth into it. _Maybe he does have more in common with Grimmjow than I ever imagined. No, don't think about him at this moment! You're already potentially ruining everything! Fuckin' Berry, do I have to do everything in this relationship?_

With an inward sigh, Renji nudged his forehead against Ichigo's.

"Ichigo…" The younger man slowly raised his head and looked Renji straight in the eyes. He could felt massive relief when he saw that Renji wasn't laughing at him after all, but on the contrary, he looked as though he would be more than happy to devour him whole. His lips were parted and his eyes were half-lidded and hazy with want. Even Ichigo wasn't so inexperienced to recognize bedroom eyes when he was staring right into them.

_It's now or never I guess. _With this final thought, Ichigo leaned still a bit forward and pressed his lips against Renji's.

_He tastes like sugar. _Ichigo wasn't really sure if he was doing anything right or even that, but he tried to do what felt good and natural. He first just let their lips touch gently, almost only brushing against each other. Then, when Renji wasn't trying to escape from him, he slightly added pressure, instinctively parting his lips.

If Renji thought his head had been a mess before, he had been wrong. He felt now hazy, like when drinking just enough booze on a night on the town, when everything is still fuzzy and warm. Ichigo's lips were softer than he had anticipated and he could still feel a slight taste of coffee. He slowly lifted his hand up Ichigo's back to his neck, caressing his the soft hairs on his neck and pulling the other closer. He could feel how the younger man's hands were trembling slightly when he gradually raised them to his waist and pulled him in a tight embrace. He let his lower jaw drop a little and ran his tongue over Ichigo's lips. His other hand was now wrapped around Ichigo's narrow waist.

The first shy and awkward touch had now deepened into a full embracing kiss. Renji's hand was gripping Ichigo's orange locks, keeping his head in it's place so he couldn't just pull away, _not now when I finally got this far…_Their lips were moving in synch, heads tilted to the side so their noses were rubbing slightly against each other. The redhead felt Ichigo's hard-on pressing against his thigh and could sense his own erection starting to come alive now that he didn't have to fear about scaring him away with his too bold actions. _His hair is so soft, I'd thought it would feel like the fur of a shaggy dog or something, _Renji hummed slightly and fluffed the hair he had loved for so long.

Ichigo's hands were exploring Renji's midsection, traveling up his back and down his sides, then finally settling to his hips, thumbs rubbing at his pelvic bones and slowly making their way into Renji's pants. _God, I can't believe I'm actually doing this here, at the goddamn laundry room where anyone could just walk in at any minute…_

Probably someone else had thought of that since suddenly there was an deliberate cough from the hall's doorway. Both men froze instantly, their closed eyes flicked open and hands were quickly pulled away from each other's hot bodies. Ichigo lowered his head, his face blushing fiercely in embarrassment. Renji cleared his throat awkwardly, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. An old lady walked past glaring at them poisonously and opened the laundry room's door, banging it close.

Renji let out a long sigh and looked at Ichigo fearfully. _If he is now totally_ _scared shitless he probably won't be wanting a rerun of what we just did…No matter how great it felt. _Ichigo had buried his face in his hands, slowly shaking his head. The older man grapped hold of his chin and raised his head up to face him. He gave him an encouraging smile, trying to convince everything was right.

"Come on, Ichi, show me your face", he pleaded hoarsely. Ichigo lowered his hands from his face and to Renji's surprise, he was smiling widely, almost chuckling.

"What's so funny?" the redhead asked, feeling laughter form inside him too. His friend just shook his head, not being able but to let laughter pour out of his lips. Renji was starting to feel anxious, was what just happened so unreal to him he was in shock or what?

"Alright, haa haa, come on tell me what's so fucking funny about this" Renji demanded again, now with more force. Ichigo was now doubled over, leaning his hands to his knees. He tried to form out a sentence but kept bursting into giggles.

"She…she must have…oh dear God I can't ever show my face here…oh God…" Renji was now sure that the youngster had lost it. _Too much manly goodness can do that_.

Finally Ichigo managed to straighten himself up, wiping tears of laughter from his flushed face. The older man was already looking rather impatient, tapping his feet against the cold cement floor.

"Spit it out Ichigo. I'm getting tired of being laughed at." His friend looked at him with surprise.

"Oh I'm not laughing at you", he said, then smirking, "or, not to _all_ of you." This made Renji raise his eyebrows in confusion.

"I don't get it. What do you mean by "all of me"?". Ichigo chortled once more and then pointed down to the redhead's crotch.

"She must've seen your hard-on. And probably mine too. And I happen to know that that particular lady is the worst blabbermouth in the whole block. So we're pretty much screwed right now, or at least everyone will think we are." Renji smacked his forehead.

"Oh for the love of God, we have the worst of luck in the history of gay men making out in laundry rooms. " Ichigo chuckled, running his hand through his hair.

"Guess we'd better leave your laundry to another time. Let's just get out of here, please?"

"You don't have to ask me twice." Renji grabbed Ichigo's keys from the floor and they both walked out of the cellar, whistling with their hands in their pockets, trying to look like anything but two guys who just almost had steamy hot laundry room sex.


	6. That Must Mean I'll Live Again

**On with the story! Orihime is a little OOC in this but I just didn't want to make her all that annoying as she is in the manga/anime, she has grown more mature in my little story. I also hope I'm not offending anyone by writing about what she has been through, it certainly isn't my intention. I'm trying to be sensitive about it but we'll see how well I did. I apologize in advance in case I get flames for this.**

**Noticing how much coffee the characters are actually drinking in this fic, it fits the title but certainly wasn't my original purpose to stick coffee into every single chapter :D Probably has something to do with my own caffeine addiction, and the fact that Finnish people drink a LOT of coffee, all the time. Or at least I do. **

**Getting confused with pronouns in this chapter, sorry about that! I tried to fix them, don't know if I still missed a few. **

**That Must Mean I'll Live Again**

The walk to Renji's place was barely a mile long, but soon Ichigo noticed how hungry he was. A cup of coffee, no matter how good, didn't really fill a grown man's stomach. He also noticed how Renji was rubbing his abdomen and trying to muffle its groaning.

"You hungry?"

"Like hell, that coffee of yours might have given me a heartburn", the redhead moaned continuing to rub his whole midsection now. Ichigo glanced along the street they were walking on.

"Isn't Orihime's café somewhere near, we could pass by it on the way", he suggested, already feeling his hunger grow thinking about future food. Orihime's cooking had really improved over the years since she had started working in a local café, now other people than she and Rangiku could actually eat it without having to hide half of it on a napkin.

Renji nodded and smiled. Orihime was a charming girl, and he was sure that the clientele of the café had grown significantly since she had started working there. Mostly it was teenage guys who salivated over her, though she herself seemed oblivious to all the attention she got, or she was just playing nice. Renji was somehow more inclined to the latter, she had seen Orihime get mad. _Hope she won't give me same kind of trashing as Rangiku, she has spent way too much time with her._

"What time is it anyway", Ichigo muttered and patted his pockets looking for his mobile. _I must have dropped it when we ran down the stairs…no, there it is. _

"How much is it?"

"It's aah, it's quarter past ten", Ichigo said, raising his eyebrows, "we did wake up quite early."

"You mean _I _woke up early and had to kick you awake." The younger man scoffed, not bothering to start another fight with an empty stomach.

Soon they arrived at the café and walked in with a bell chiming over the door. Behind to counter there was a young woman with blazing orange hair that was braided neatly over her shoulder, bustling around with cupcake dressing.

"Good morning", she chimed happily, not still raising her gaze from the cupcakes. She laid the dressing down and fixed a stray hair behind her ear.

"How can I help…Renji-kun!" Seeing Renji standing at the door Orihime quickly launched herself over the counter with unexpected agility and ran to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him so hard her large breasts almost cut off his breathing.

"Hiya Orihime-chan", he grinned, hugging the girl back with equal force.

"Where have you been, we've missed you so much", she continued, still not letting go of Renji.

"I...I've been around…I'll explain more if you would kindly let go."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" the girl released Renji from her grasp and stepped back, with a huge beaming smile on her face. Only then she noticed that Ichigo was also standing there.

"Oh Ichigo- kun, I didn't see you there. How are you?" Ichigo smiled back. He was happy to see Orihime as her smiling old self. _I guess Uryuu has done her good, and likewise. __  
_

"I'm alright Orihime. Just picked up Renji last night from the streets and he's been staying with me." Orihime seemed surprised and she looked at Renji with worry.

"From the streets? Renji- kun, why?" The man shrugged his shoulders and looked at his shoes. He didn't really want to dwell on the last couple of weeks, not the primetime of his life to be frank.

"I'll explain more…but could you cook us some food first, we're starving", Ichigo broke in, saving his friend from further inquiries. Orihime snapped back to her happy-go-lucky state smiling.

"Sure! You just go sit somewhere and I'll bring you my specialty!" With that the girl whirled back behind the counter and disappeared into the kitchen.

"You alright?" Ichigo nudged Renji with his elbow. The redhead raised his head and wiped his nose on his sleeve.

"Yeah, just dandy." Ichigo smiled encouragingly and looked around in the café. He pointed to one of the tables.

"Let's go sit by the window."

The two friends settled themselves at the table, Renji fiddling with the cutlery and Ichigo looking out of the window at the quiet street. Not many people were on the move at this hour, the sun was just starting to warm the air. _Should be nice enough a day, _he thought. He listed the things they needed to get for the evening. Rangiku had agreed that they could meet at her place and then go to a bar. She would provide the booze, Orihime would probably organize some snacks. Rangiku had suggested that they could go to her friends' place first, which was an old pub down the road from her place. A quiet joint, with a friendly owner, good music and cheap drinks. It sounded good enough place to start the night, then if they felt randy, they could head downtown to the clubs.

Rangiku had also listed a fair amount of people she was going to invite_. Shuuhei and Kira, naturally so she wouldn't have to worry about buying drinks all night, Ikkaku and Yumichika too so that she wouldn't be the only one drunk out of her mind, Chad, Tatsuki, Orihime and Uryuu, that went without saying. Then Yoruichi- san and that girlfriend of hers, Sui- Fêng. So most likely Urahara will come too. Rukia and Byakuya, she had a lot to talk about with Renji and probably Byakuya as well_. Ichigo had never quite understood the weird friendship those two men had, to him Byakuya seemed like a cold, heartless bastard, the total opposite of friendly and outgoing Renji. _As if he somehow looked up to him, but I can't think of any reason why. _Ichigo glanced at Renji, who was now ripping a napkin into little pieces. He slapped his hand.

"Oi, you're making a mess." Renji's fingers stopped dead, his whole body tensing. His shoulders started to shake lightly and he bit his lower lip while his face contorted to a pained expression.

"Hey hey hey Renji what's the matter" Ichigo panicked and quickly looked around the café the check if anyone else was there. Orihime was still in the kitchen.

Tears were now filling Renji's eyes and he was hiccuping slightly. _Oh shit, what did I do?_ Ichigo berated himself as he grapped Renji's hands to his own.

"It's alright, I'm here", he tried to comfort"what did I do?" Renji wrenched his other hand out of Ichigo's grasp to wipe his eyes.

"It's nothing, I just...", he started, then shook his head with a little sad smile.

"What?"

"It's just all this", Renji sighed, leaning back in his chair and ran his fingers through his hair. _That's some nervous tick of his_, Ichigo mused inwardly.

"You know, all this stuff with Grimmjow, I haven't really get over it yet", Renji finally blurted out, making Ichigo back off and let go of his hand. The other man looked at him confounded by his alert reaction.

Inside his head Ichigo fumed. _I knew it, I goddamn knew it! _He mentally bashed himself over the head, _you stupid, stupid, stupid idiot! _All that little glory he had had over the incident at the laundry room faded in a bat of an eye. _For Christ sake, they only split up few weeks ago, he was in love with that man! Did you really think he could bounce back that quickly, you found him on the street, stalking under his window! God, I'm the biggest idiot there ever was or is or will ever be…'_

Luckily his self-destructive thoughts were interrupted by Orihime who laid a mountain of food to their table.

"Here you go!", she beamed happily, seemingly unaware of the tension between the two men. She again fixed a stray hair behind her ear and wiped her hands on her fluffy apron.

"Go on, tuck in!", she prompted them and then turned back to the counter.

"I'll get you some coffee, sugar for you Renji-kun?" It was more of a statement than a question, Orihime was well- informed of all of her friends' tastes and likings and the same went to her other customers. That was one of the reasons she had made the café such a popular place.

Renji was more than happy to gather as much food on his plate as possible, already forgotten about his friend's strange reaction. He could see how his mind was racing and his face had turned into a grim scowl. _Wonder what got him so wound up, _he spared a thought to Ichigo and then concentrated on the food in front of him. Orihime came back with a pot of steaming hot coffee and poured it to their cups, dropping ample amount of sugar into Renji's. She then pulled herself a chair and sat down at the table.

"So, Renji- kun, do you want to tell me what you've been up to?" she asked, pouring herself a cup of coffee. She took a sip and looked at Renji over the rim of the cup. _When did she learn that all-knowing stare, must be from Yoruichi, _Renji sighed inwardly. Somehow all his nice young female friends had turned into ball- busting, strong women who could tear men into shreds with a few selected words. That didn't really bother him since as a gay man he didn't have to date them and eventually get into fights with them about all the stupid stuff couples always fight about, dishes, dirty socks and so on. But at situations like this he sometimes hoped that Orihime was still the ditzy little girl she used to be.

_I pity Uryuu if she ever has to use that tone with him_, Renji hemmed and lowered his cutlery to his plate, wiping his mouth on a napkin. He again leaned back on his chair and started to fiddle with his hair. _Where should I even begin with this…_

"Well, when did I last see you?" he first asked, looking at Orihime under his tattooed brows.

"I ran into you on the street few weeks ago, you had been wandering around for some time", she answered, taking another sip of her coffee.

"You said that Grimmjow-san had just left you but that was all you managed to say. Then you ran away." Orihime's stare was now more worried than anything. _I guess you can't really change a girl even though you teach her how to make a man shake in his boots._

"Well I ended up in some bar, quite a long way from my flat, got drunk out of my skull and then…", Renji paused, wondering if he really should tell everything but then he noticed the glare Orihime was giving him and decided it would be easier just to get it out.

"Then I really didn't wake up where I should have." Orihime raised her eyebrows, as did Ichigo who had also started listening to Renji's story. He felt stupid not bothering to ask about what his friend had been up to when he obviously wasn't alright. _Some friend I am,_ he scoffed to himself.

"What did you do then, I presume you didn't just sleep for two weeks in some random guy's apartment", Orihime pressed on with a hint of disapproval in her voice. Renji could see what she was thinking. _You spent two weeks in some guy's apartment you don't even know and didn't inform any of your friends where you were, you bastard. Well, maybe she'd hold the "bastard" part._

"No, I got out of there and headed to my own flat. Then I got some more booze, drank it, wallowed in sorrow and then passed out. That was pretty much how it went for the two weeks", Renji ended, taking a final swig of his coffee. Orihime nodded slightly but he could see she was not convinced.

"So you didn't hang around bars and leaving with other random guys except for that one time", she continued. Renji moved in his seat, _goddamn women why do they ask if they already know._

"Ulquiorra- san told me, he visited here last week", Orihime answered to Renji's silent question. Ichigo slammed his cup on the table and stared at her in anger.

"He did what?" Orihime sighed and tapped Ichigo's hand.

"It's alright, he doesn't want any harm for me. Besides, Urahara- san was here at the time so I was completely save", she stirred her coffee for a few seconds, "not that I would need any help."

_That's true, I've seen her practice with Tatsuki, _Renji thought and grabbed a piece of bread from his plate.

"I thought you weren't gonna see him anymore", Ichigo still fumed, "I mean, after all that, how you can still look him in the face and even let him in here?"

"It's a public café, Ichigo, I can't really do anything if he wants to come here. I don't understand why you are getting so worked up about this, it wasn't you who was raped." Both men flinched visibly and stared at Orihime, who was sitting there completely calm and collected as ever.

"And", she continued, "it was his friend, not Ulquiorra-san who did it. So I'd suggest you'd leave him out of this and concentrate on Renji for a change." She then looked at Renji again.

"Would you like to tell us more, Renji- kun", she said softly. The redhead shook his head a little in disbelief. _She really has changed hasn't she, our little princess. _He suddenly felt an urge to hug Orihime and tell her everything was going to be okay, even though she didn't seem to need it. _Too much tragedy for one lifetime, it's always the best of people who suffer the worst._

_Funny how she is still the one to console everyone else even though she has went through the worst herself, but she doesn't seem to think it like that. I don't know if the fact that she can survive presses other people on or is it something else. Anywho, I feel like a total idiot now crying over Grimmjow when she's sitting there, not even batting an eyelid when talking about **that**_.

"Renji- kun", Orihime mumbled softly, taking hold of his hand, "what you went through with Grimmjow-san is in no way similar to my experience. I personally think that if a person you love hurts you, it's much harder than if it's someone you don't care for or even know. So don't feel embarrassed, there's no need for that." She gave him one of her radiating smiles that seemed to light the whole room. Renji couldn't help but smile back.

Ichigo had been watching this little exchange between his two friends. _Renji and Orihime have more in common than I would've known. _They both shared a quite bleak childhood, Renji being an orphan and had to live on the streets, Orihime's parents hadn't been the best kind and she had lived with her big brother until he had died in a tragic accident. They were both a sort of outcasts and had had to make their own way in life. _I've had it easy, _Ichigo thought and once again reminded himself of making a visit to his family. _Maybe it was a better idea than I expected to come see Orihime, she seems to best person for Renji to speak about what happened, she knows what to say. I just freeze whenever he gets upset, and I know I would only say something retarded like "there, there"._

Ichigo perked up from his thoughts when Renji started to speak again.

"I don't really know all the details myself, it's been one drunken haze…I guess I've been roaming in those dumps where Grimmjow used to perform, hoping to see him and to get some explanation why, though I don't think I'd remember it even if I had bumped into him", the redhead scratched his head looking slightly embarrassed.

"I know it's not really mature to try and drink it all off. And I'm sorry I didn't keep in touch with you guys", he continued looking at Orihime and Ichigo.

"So you don't know why he did it?" Ichigo asked cocking an eyebrow. He had met Grimmjow few times, he didn't seem like a guy who would really commit to anyone for a longer period of time but he had thought that he and Renji were quite happy. Or at least Renji had been. He could remember how he had praised Grimmjow and been totally smitten by the man, despite his shady past and even shadier odd jobs he did for the mobsters of the city. _And what comes to his friends, well, we saw what kind of sick bunch they were. _Ichigo's fists clenched just from the thought of Grimmjow's sleazebag friends.

Renji shook his head and leaned his chin in his hands.

"Well he had told me that he wasn't really the type for longer relationships but I had thought that since there was nothing wrong maybe he had changed his mind…" Renji's voice faded away and Orihime stroked his arm gently. The man sighed.

"I guess I was wrong", he said shrugging his shoulders.

"Then when I finally had had enough of being drunk all the time and tried to just sleep my head clear, I couldn't stand staying at my flat alone", he continued, "so I went out for a walk and ended up around Grimmjow's place. Then I just stood under his window until Berry here found me." Renji flashed a grin to Ichigo who in turn gave him a little smile.

Orihime pouted her lips and ruffled Renji's red locks like a concerned big sister. _Funny how though she's years younger than him she acts as if she's older than him, scolding him like a little brother. But judging by Renji's smile he's just fine with it_, Ichigo mused while munching on some eggrolls. _I guess after Rukia didn't have so much time for him Orihime has in a way taken her place. _

"Well, I'm glad you're okay Renji-kun", Orihime said smiling, "but it doesn't mean I'm not mad at you. But I guess Rangiku has already given you an earful so I don't have to." Renji nodded in agreement, shuddering at the memory of Rangiku's rant. _Should have known better than to expect that I would pull through this without someone giving me an earful. Pies in the sky with this crowd I'm in, _the redhead hemmed and tried to comb his hair down with his hands. Orihime sighed lightly, walked up behind him and started to carefully braid his long mane with her delicate small fingers.

"Your hair is a mess, Renji- kun", she giggled and fixed some stray hairs back to the braid.

"Should I make it like mine?", she asked looking at Ichigo with a smile. Ichigo smirked back at her and looked at Renji's pouting face. _They do look like a brother and sister. _

"You'll be coming over to Rangiku's tonight Orihime-chan?" Renji asked while the girl was giving his hair final touches. She nodded and looked at her hands work.

"Yeah, Rangiku told me to bring some snacks. She said we'd be going to Ukitake's place first", she acknowledged giving Renji a final pat on the head when she seemed satisfied enough at the state of his mane. Ichigo nodded and swiped the final bits of food of his plate with a piece of bread.

"Then we're gonna hit the town", Renji exclaimed with a wide smile. Orihime let a bright laughter and cleared their dishes off the table. When both men started tucking in to their pockets for payment she shook her head, her braid flinging from side to side.

"It's alright, on the house this time. I'll see you boys in the evening", she chirped, turning to walk back into the kitchen. Renji rose from his chair and started to make his way out but Ichigo waved his hand to him.

"I'll be right there, I just…" Renji nodded, took his cigarettes out of his pocket and walked outside.

Ichigo followed Orihime back into the small kitchen that was behind the counter. As she laid the dishes onto a ledge Ichigo touched her arm gently.

"Orihime- chan", he whispered softly. The girl turned to face him and looked at him with an inquiring expression.

"Are you sure you're alright", Ichigo persevered, "with Ulquiorra and all that?" Orihime sighed and wiped her hands in her apron.

"I've told you, Ichigo, I'm fine." She gave him a reassuring smile but he wasn't convinced.

"It's okay Orihime, you can be upset about it, no one will think worse of you if you'd be…" Orihime slammed her hand on the counter, surprising Ichigo with her sudden expression of anger.

"I'm NOT upset, Ichigo", she said forcefully, then took a deep breath to calm herself and continued: "I just don't want that everyone acts as if I'm something so fragile that I'll fall apart if I saw him or Ulquiorra or anyone. " She looked at Ichigo straight in the eyes with determination and will power.

"I'm not a little girl anymore. And I don't want you to just think me as your friend who was raped, I don't want that it defines me as a person", she paused and looked away. Ichigo grabbed hold of her hand and stroked her face gently.

"I don't think that Orihime, I'm just worried about you." Orihime glared at him but Ichigo continued: "And it's not because I'd think you're weak or couldn't take care of yourself, but because you're my friend and I love you. And I don't want anything bad happening to you." Orihime's face melted into a kind smile and she took hold of Ichigo's hand that had cupped her face.

"I love you too Ichigo. And thank you for caring about me", she said and stepped closer to hug him tightly. The young man hugged her back, raising her few inches of the ground. When he lowered her back to her feet, they were both smiling widely. Orihime wiped her bangs of her face and peeked outside over Ichigo's shoulder, where Renji was smoking a cigarette.

"So, you and Renji-kun", she started and looked at Ichigo wryly, "is there something I should know?" The young man threw his head back with a huff and shook his head.

"I'm not really sure. I mean, he's always been flirting with me, and everyone else, so I don't know if he's serious or what. And before we came here…" his voice trailed off and a small blush crept into his face. Orihime beamed and nudged Ichigo slightly.

"What, tell me? You did something naughty didn't you", she laughed at Ichigo's reddening face. She loved to tease her friend, knowing that he might want Renji to be more than just a friend. Ichigo groaned and wiped his face with his hand.

"Well, we went into the laundry room to get his clothes and then he got the keys and when I tried to take them back we sorta…kissed." The girl squealed and clapped her hands excitedly.

"Oh, I knew it, I knew it!" she laughed jumping up and down. Ichigo tried to calm her down by putting his hands on her shoulders. He shushed to Orihime who covered her mouth with her hands and peeked again outside. Renji didn't seem to have noticed anything.

"So how was it?" she whispered to Ichigo. He couldn't help but to let a small grin glide to his lips.

"It was…much better than I expected", he said with little embarrassment. His friend smirked and giggled, clapping her hands again.

"But I don't know what to do, he just broke up from Grimmjow and seems really upset about it so I don't want to be just some rebound guy." Orihime nodded and looked thoughtful for a moment. Then she spoke, choosing her words carefully:

"Well, I happen to know that he had a crush on you long before he even met Grimmjow-san", she glanced at Ichigo who was looking puzzled, "so maybe Grimmjow-san was his rebound guy from you." The young man shook his head in disbelief and tried to laugh it off but Orihime was stern.

"I'm serious, you really haven't noticed? When you first met him he was all over you, he even asked me about you, if you're single, do you like guys and that sort of stuff", she smiled. Ichigo's blush grew even deeper listening to Orihime. Or course he had noticed that Renji had flirted with him quite openly when they first met but then it had gradually worn off and when he had noticed that he acted the same way with almost everyone, he had thought nothing of it. To him that was just Renji, nothing personal. _Have I hurt his feelings when I've just laughed at his advances, maybe he was being serious the whole time?_

Orihime seemed to read his thoughts and shook her head.

"He did tell me that once you two became better friends he decided not to pursue you seriously anymore. He didn't want to spoil it all when he didn't know what you were into", she said raising an eyebrow.

"But I'm quite sure his feelings haven't really changed, and if you were to show that you're interested…" she let Ichigo conclude the thought himself. He glanced out again at Renji, who was now stomping his cigarette and started to swing back and forth on his heels.

Ichigo rubbed the back of his head, trying to gather his thoughts. Orihime cocked her head to the side, waiting her friend to say something. Finally he just shrugged his shoulders.

"We'll just have to wait that he gets through this and then see. I don't want to push myself on him", he said. Orihime grinned and patted Ichigo's cheek.

"I'm pretty sure he'll let you know what he wants when he feels like it", she said encouragingly. Ichigo hemmed and ruffled Orihime's hair.

_Glad that I have someone who can talk some sense into me._


	7. Prove Me Wrong

**Over 1,000 hits! Thanks everyone, especially those six lovely, fluffy and gorgeous people who have favourited this story. Hope I can reach your expectations in the future. Much love to everyone :)  
**

**Chapters are just getting longer longer, good thing, bad thing? Let me know. Also this chapter ends badly, but I just couldn't find a good way to end it so I cut it before it dragged on longer, so now I have already started with the next chapter. How sad that I have nothing better to do on a Saturday night but to write this :D Well at least I'm enjoying it now, it was really hard to get this chapter going, but I think it turned out okay.  
**

**Prove Me Wrong**

When Ichigo finally walked out of the cafe where Renji was still waiting, he had a small smirk on his lips. The older man cocked his brow inquisitively but Ichigo said nothing, just started to walk to the direction of Renji's apartment. The tattooed man scoffed and ran after him. When he got beside Ichigo he nudged him in the ribs with his elbow.

"So, did you settle things with Orihime-chan?" Ichigo didn't first seemed to hear him but only hummed in response, as if he was deep in his own thoughts, much too interesting to let go. Renji was angered by this sudden ignorance and dug the cigarettes out his pockets. _I'll have to amuse myself then if Ichigo is not up to it._

The rest of the walk was made in silence, with both of the men deep in their own thoughts. Ichigo was still contemplating Orihime's news about Renji and his crush for him. He didn't know what to make of it in the light of the recent events, sure he was still interested in Renji but he didn't want to get together with a man who wasn't still over his ex. _I mean, how long were they together, six months? No, it was longer than that, .I don't think he even told us right away, they dated for some time before actually getting together. _

_But if Orihime was right and Grimmjow was only some sort of substitute for me? _Ichigo laughed mentally at his arrogance; Orihime had also said that Renji had let go of his crush when their friendship had deepened and that was years ago. And during that time he had seen Renji with various other men, not showing a sign of pining after him. _Don't get cocky, Ichigo, _he scolded himself. _You're obviously not the only man in Renji's life. _

_Even if he had dated Grimmjow to forget about me, it doesn't mean he'd instantly want to be with me now that they've broken up. I don't know what it means. But I guess I just have to wait for him to do something, and get over Grimmjow for good before I glomp him or something. _He snickered at his thoughts, he really needed to get laid, if not by Renji then someone else. _Would Renji be jealous if I would now get on with someone else? I guess it would seem strange, since just this morning I was all over him but I don't want to take advantage of him just because he's vulnerable after the break up and probably wants someone to comfort him. But I still don't want to be his rebound guy._

Renji was also thinking about his past relationship. The talk with Orihime had brought back a lot of memories about Grimmjow, mostly since he had tried to remember if they had been any signs that something had been wrong. But he couldn't think of any, everything had been going great for months. Of course they've had fights and sometimes they had even ended up violently but they had always been able to kiss and make up afterwards. _More than just kiss, _Renji chuckled inwardly, _Grimmjow seemed to be really turned on by fighting. Some of the best sex I've had happened after we had been on each others' throats for hours, at best. _The redhead was suddenly sucked into memory lane, his mind filling with images of Grimmjow ripping of his clothes, biting down on his neck, slamming his against the wall... He shuddered at the lustful memories

_He was the same after he had had to beat somebody up, always coming home covered in blood and that hungry smirk on his face, like he wants to devour me. I remember the first time he showed up in my place like that, he scared the shit out of me, _Renji mused to himself remembering his reaction. He had gone ballistic at first, but had been quickly silenced by Grimmjow's bruising kisses and strong hands that had roamed across his body.

"_I want you right now. Right here", _he had growled in his ear, already unbuckling his belt and ripping off his shirt._ How many shirts did I lose that way, he ripping them off me in his crazed heat? Not that I ever complained, _Renji grinned. Though he first had been taken aback by Grimmjow's almost brutal handling in bed, he had soon grown accustomed to it and even noticed that he was really turned on by it. He himself wasn't the most gently type of lover but even that seemed tame compared to Grimmjow's animalistic manoeuvres. Even the sounds he had made were so raw and wild, he had growled, purred, howled and hissed during sex. Renji had learned to love those rough sounds and started to experiment the whole variety of different noises his man was capable of when they had made love. _Or to me it was making love, to him it was obviously just fucking, _the redhead huffed to himself. He shook his head to rid it from depressing thoughts.

_Before that I was quite quiet in bed...But Grimmjow wasn't having any of that. He would tease me into oblivion until I gave in and begged him for release, _Renji blushed at his thoughts. Thinking about Grimmjow and all the sex they'd had was making him horny. Just thinking about Grimmjow's naked form made heat pool down in his groin. _I really need to get laid, even just to release pressure. _He glanced at Ichigo who was walking by his side also deep in thought. _But he won't do, I'm too wound up in my thoughts to start anything meaningful right now. I just need some mindless, drunken sex and with Berry I can't do that. He's too precious for that._

Soon they arrived to Renji's flat. The redhead pointed towards the back of the house.

"I didn't take my keys so we have to use the backdoor." Ichigo rolled his eyes and followed his friend to the back alley. He should have known that Renji hadn't been in such a state that he would've even thought about getting back to his flat, his initiative had been to get out as quickly as possible. Then he remembered something.

"You don't have a backdoor." His friend looked over his shoulder with a grin.

"Well yeah I do, kinda. We'll just have to improvise a bit", he answered. Ichigo cursed mentally and shoved his hands to his pockets. _Why do I always end up in these stupid situations with Renji, it's like he wants to do everything the hard way, or at least unconventionally. He'll probably have to break into his own house._

When they got to the back of the flat, there was only one small window. _His bathroom I guess. _Ichigo's mind raced and then he realised what Renji was going to do, or make him do. _Aww, hell no..._

"I'm not climbing through that window." He stated, crossing his hands on his chest. Renji just stood in front of the window, measuring it with his eyes. He then looked back at Ichigo, smiling widely.

"You're much smaller than me, Berry. It's easier for you to cram through it."

"No way in hell I'm doing that", he looked at the little window. _If I could reach it then maybe...No, no, no, hell no! _

Renji chuckled and grabbed Ichigo's wrist to pull him closer to the window.

"I'll give you a little push and then you can let us both in, 'kay?" Ichigo tried to wrench his arm off Renji's grip but despite being so malnourished he was still stronger than Ichigo.

"Listen, I'd do it myself but I can't fit through that, God knows I've tried. But since you're so scrawny it'll be child's play to you", he grinned and bucked his knees so he could grip Ichigo by the legs to raise him higher. The younger man tried to yank himself free but he was already lifted up from the ground and his feet hang in the air.

Renji smirked widely when he raised him up so that Ichigo's bottom was on his shoulder and his feet dangled in the air.

"Lean on me Berry, I can take it", he said and fixed his grip.

"Boke! Let me go!", Ichigo kicked with his feet to distract Renji but his grip only tightened.

"Just open the window, climb in and we'll be through with this. I'll buy you a beer later." Ichigo finally relaxed with a deep sigh and started to pry open the little window.

"'Atta boy" Renji complimented him with a smiley voice. Ichigo glared down at him but finally managed open the window. He gave a final dirty look to Renji before grabbing hold of the windowsill and pulling himself in.

Renji listened when Ichigo landed into the bathroom with a loud tumble and string of curses. With a chuckle he lighted a cigarette and inhaled the bittersweet smoke into his lungs. He puffed out some smoke rings before shouting out to his friend:

"You alright there, Ichi?". The only he got was some muttering and he could make out "idiot", "bastard" and "lazy-ass ginger". He just hemmed and started to walk back to the front door.

Renji was casually leaning on the door frame when dishevelled Ichigo opened the front door, not saying a word.

"Enjoyed yourself much, Ichi?" Renji asked and walked into his flat behind his friend. He only got a cold shoulder and an angry huff from Ichigo, who lopped himself on the couch, making it clear he was not going to help him anymore. With an inward sigh, Renji made his way to the bedroom to gather some clothes. _Walking around town in your pyjamas is not really a thing a normal person would do, _he thought to himself while dodging beer cans and pizza boxes. _Gotta clean up before I go, or then again, maybe later. _

Renji entered his bedroom which was opposite to the bathroom and opened the creaking door. _Gotta fix the hinges too...I guess it would be easier just to move than clean up and renovate the whole place. _

"Berry!", he hollered. As an answer he got an uncooperative grunt but that would do for now.

"Can I stay at your place tonight, I can't be arsed to clean up here today." First there was nothing so Renji decided to use some of his sympathy points.

"Come on, Ichi, I'm old and lonely and it's cold here and dark and...and damp!" _Or something. _He heard Ichigo exhaling deeply and could see him shaking his head in disbelief that he was letting his friend win so easily.

"Fine! But I'm not sleeping on the couch, my back is killing me!" Renji snickered and proceeded into his bedroom.

"Will do Ichi, thanks a bunch!"

Inside his bedroom Renji flicked the lights on and cringed to the state of it. His bed sheets were tumbled up on the floor, the pillows were thrown out of bed by the looks of things and the clothes he had worn were scattered around the room. _Best just to throw them all straight to the laundry, some of these look like they could walk there themselves. _He carefully picked up all the clothes from the floor and bunched them up into the laundry basket in the corner. The sheets went in with them as did the pillowcases and the blanket. _There, much better already. I can leave the actually washing to later. _

Next Renji went to his wardrobe and looked for anything that could be worn for a night on the town. _And I could take some spare clothes to Ichigo's place, just in case my laundry can't still be retrieved. _He took out some ripped jeans and a tank top, wriggled out of his cotton pants and t-shirt and changed into his own clothes. _I need a belt, and some socks. _Renji continued roaming his closet while in the living room Ichigo was starting to get personally offended by the mess. With a sigh, he rose up from the couch and started to collect all the empty cans and boxes into a pile that he could chuck into the garbage.

_I can't believe how someone can live in this mess, _he scoffed inwardly as he tried to have as little physical contact with the garbage as possible. He leered at the dried up pieces of pizza that some of the boxes still contained as he crammed them into the bin bag. Soon the living room resembled more of a place that could be called a home rather than a dumb. Ichigo tied to bag shut and placed it next to the front door. At that moment Renji walked back into the room, wearing his own clothes and a duffel bag thrown over his shoulder. He had even had time to tie a white scarf over his head and his red braided hair was swung over his shoulder, much like Orihime's. He smirked as he saw how Ichigo couldn't have helped himself from cleaning up. _Such a cleanliness nazi he is._

"You done?" Ichigo spun around to see chuckling Renji looking at him tying the garbage bag. He quickly let it go and blushed in embarrassment, Renji had previously mocked him for his apparent fixation with cleanliness. He just didn't feel comfortable in cluttered places.

"_That's very manly of you, Berry", _Renji had snickered, _"but I don't mind, it's just that if you wore a French maid's outfit it' be much more entertaining to watch you." _Judging by his expression, he was thinking just that.

"Whatever you're thinking, stop it", Ichigo snapped, but lacked force behind his words. He was too caught up in his own sudden thoughts of French maids. Or a version of them. _Renji'd probably look great in a suit, waiting at tables...I wonder if he has ever tried working in customer service, he'd certainly get a lot of tips with that smile of his..._

Renji snatched his own keys from his kitchen counter and jingled them in front of Ichigo's face.

"We're leaving Berry. Unless you want to stay and clean up the rest of this place." His friend was looking at him weirdly, with some sort of lusty glazed look in his eyes. _I don't even want to know. _His earlier determination to keep his hands off Ichigo was suddenly deteriorating. _I'm such a sucker for him, he doesn't even need to say anything, just look at me and I'm already going weak at the knees. Stupid hormones, stupid Ichigo and stupid stupid stupid me! _With a deep intake of breath to calm himself down and not maul Ichigo in that spot, Renji opened the front door and gestured to Ichigo to walk out.

"After you, my dear sir." The younger man rolled his eyes to him and exited to flat, with Renji behind him grabbing the garbage bag and locking the door.

The sun was already high in the sky and people were crowding the streets even in the remote area where Renji's flat was. The two men decided to head out to a nearby shop to buy some drinks for the evening despite Rangiku's generous offer of providing the drinks. As Renji put it, if they wanted to remember anything from the coming evening, they'd better not touch her booze. At least no more than one drink. Rangiku had established a dubious reputation of making the strongest drinks in town and their whole group of friends had personally witnessed their effect. Renji and Ichigo cringed at the memory of those nights on their way to the shop, Ichigo had a strong feeling that they had been swinging back Rangiku's drinks on a heavy hand on the night that they had almost ended up in bed. _Luckily, I guess, those drinks have tendency to come out as quickly as they go into the head, _he shuddered.

_I don't know if it's really smart for Renji to keep on drinking since he's been doing it for weeks in a row now, _Ichigo contemplated when they entered the shop and Renji picked up a shopping cart for them, then pointed Ichigo to jump in it so he could push him around the shop. Renji's bad influence was starting to rub on Ichigo again and he clambered into the cart with no protest at all, hanging his legs and hands outside the cart's edges. Renji put his foot on the cart's ledge and kicked them speed with his other leg, so they rolled around the empty corridors, Ichigo picking out stuff from the shelves according to Renji's instructions. Soon he was covered in groceries and they both were sniggering like young prankster school boys.

"We're idiots, you know that", Ichigo remarked to Renji when they glided into a halt on the drinks shelf. Renji leaped off from the cart and started to observe the range of alcohol that was on offer. _Well I guess it's a bit better when he's not alone, roaming the bars shitfaced, _he thought looking at Renji who was now crouching in front of the shelves, reading the label of some import beer.

"You want something fancy or just some shit that gets you drunk fast?" the redhead asked, running his finger over the line of bottles. Ichigo shrugged his shoulders, making the groceries shuffle in his lap.

"Something that won't taste so bad when you're throwing it up in the morning", he answered examining the list of nutrients on a bag of chips. Renji chuckled and picked up some bottles of beer and long drinks, piling them up on Ichigo. He frowned at the bag of chips, waving it to Renji.

"This bag contains as much salt as you should eat in a week", he noted with his med student authority. His friend scoffed, snatching the bag of his hand and throwing it back into the pile of groceries.

"This night isn't about nutrition, it's about getting wasted and eating stuff that will taste nice on its way back up in the morning." Ichigo made a face but said nothing. He was already bracing himself for the night to come, he had been so tied up in his studies he hadn't had time to go out in weeks. Plus with Renji missing, it wouldn't have been the same anyway. All of his friends were dear to him, but only with Renji he could really relax, and he was the only one who was able to make him drink himself silly. Despite his frowning he was really looking forward for the evening, the anticipation was filling him up with that sort of giddy feeling that you have when you know that there is great fun ahead of you.

Renji rolled them to the cashier, who looked at them with great disapproval when he saw Ichigo lying in the cart with the groceries. The men piled their shopping to the cashier, biting their lips and trying not to laugh at the cashier's scowling face. Finally Ichigo was able to get up from the cart and push it back to the line, leaving Renji to pay. Ichigo came back to bag the groceries, while the cashier counted their money with a suspicious look on his face, like he didn't believe Renji's money was real. Renji looked at Ichigo and rolled his eyes, to which Ichigo flashed a smile and picked up their bags, waiting for his friend to get the receipt. Finally he got it, accompanied by an ugly look from the cashier.

"What's his deal", the redhead hissed to Ichigo under his breath when they walked out of the shop. Ichigo sniggered and shook his head.

"Not everyone can appreciate your sophisticated sense of humour", he mumbled back. Renji barked out a laugh and grabbed other one of their grocery bags from Ichigo.

"So what now, back to your place?" he asked when they started pacing on the street. Ichigo raised his brows.

"I guess we have nothing better to do for now. We could take these to my place" he lifted the grocery bag in his hand, "and then maybe go around Urahara's. He called me earlier this week that I should come by for something when I have time."

Now it was Renji's turn to raise his eyebrows. On him the gesture was at least twice as effective since his eyebrows were tattooed tribal patterns that reached up to his hairline, though they were now almost covered totally by his scarf.

"What have you got to do with that crazy bastard?" he asked and was embarrassed to notice the hint of jealousy in his voice. He knew of Urahara, the man was a famous gigolo in the gay circles and notorious for his tendency to lure in younger handsome men, such as Ichigo, and leave them as soon as he had got what he wanted.

"He's my Dad's old friend and he's been helping me with some experiments I have to do for my studies", Ichigo responded and looked at Renji who was now scowling.

"What's up with you?" he asked with laughter in his voice. He nudged the redhead lightly with his elbow.

"Jealous much?" Renji gave him a dirty look and huffed.

"I just don't want you to get too close with him, he has a reputation you know." Ichigo snickered.

"Yeah, I do. He sleeps around with handsome young men", he paused for a second, "such as you."

Renji blushed fiercely and almost dropped his groceries. He hadn't known that Ichigo had heard of his past with Urahara, though he really hadn't ever kept very quiet about his previous adventures with men. He was really flirty by nature towards everyone around him and that had gotten him a fair amount of sex partners in the past, before Grimmjow had come around. He had been quite jealous of other men, so after he had almost beaten up one guy who had offered to buy Renji a drink, he had decided to tone down his flirting when Grimmjow was around. _Tonight's gonna be the first time in months I'll be out on the town as a single man, _he realised. _I have to get my game face on._

"So, how was it?" Ichigo asked. Renji looked at him quizzically.

"With Urahara, I mean", his friend smirked at him, "was he any good?" Renji smiled awkwardly and lowered his head. He usually talked about sex with Rangiku, she was somehow so open about her sexuality that it was easy to confide to her about men and the possible problems with them. Rangiku had also had her fair share of men in the past so she usually could provide handy advice for any situation imaginable. Though they were best friends, Ichigo had never really asked Renji about his conquests though he had seen him leave with various men on their nights out. The following day he had just raised his eyebrows to him and depending on the situation, Renji had either smiled coyly or shaken his head and rolled his eyes. If the guy had been exceptionally useless he had told some amusing anecdote about it, but nothing if he had really enjoyed himself. Ichigo was usually considerate enough not to pry, but if Renji was unusually gleeful he teased him about being "obnoxiously amorous and happy".

When Ichigo made an anxious noise Renji shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.

"Well, he does live up to his reputation, that's all I can say", he finally managed to utter, with a bashful smile on his lips. His friend grinned at his blushing expression.

"He has made passes on me, you know. More than I care to count." Renji hemmed but said nothing. He and Urahara were an old story, he had been about Ichigo's age when he had met him. _Surely he would be after Ichigo, despite him being the son of his old friend._ _With any luck Isshin would only encourage Ichigo to sleep with him, he just might be that twisted._

"But I really don't think he's my type. And Dad would never let me live it down, he'd probably want to come and watch", Ichigo said and shuddered at the thought. Renji chuckled and nodded, that would be something Isshin would definitely do, just to ensure he's only son was really becoming a man. _But is he even a virgin? _Renji realised that he had never asked, though his friend probably had had many opportunities to become a man, as they say.

"Are you still a virgin, Berry?" he asked. Ichigo looked at him with sudden disbelief.

"No, haven't been in years" he furrowed his brows, "why on Earth would you ask that now?" Renji nodded in mild surprise, _I've been really ignorant of Berry's sex life, who knows how many men and women he has tackled thus far? Maybe he's a real sex fiend, _he thought glaring at his friend from the corner of his eye. _Under that squeaky clean exterior might just be a total sex maniac, who's into whips and chains and all that jazz. _He snickered at the thought of Ichigo in full bondage gear, lashing at some poor soul's backside with a leather whip. The image was just too disturbing and unlikely.

"So who was the lucky person?" Renji enquired with a dirty smile on his face. He wrapped his other arm around Ichigo's shoulders so that their heads bumped into each other.

"Come on, you can tell me", he grinned. Ichigo sighed and glanced at his friend sideways. His wide grin made everything sound and seem dirtier than it actually was.

"It was really nothing special, I was drunk, she was drunk, it was just a mess...I don't really remember much of it, I was just nervous as hell and didn't even know what to do so I just fumbled around for some time and that was it" he answered with a nondescript tone in his voice.

"We never really talked about it and it was just sorta forgotten, and good riddance to that." Renji bumped his head into Ichigo's forehead, he wasn't yet pleased.

"Yeah yeah, but who was it? Was it someone I know personally?" Judging by the creeping blush on Ichigo's face Renji exclaimed in glee and his grin grew even wider.

"Come on, Berry, I want names! Was she hot, of course she was, was it Orihime-chan?" Ichigo looked at Renji with a horrified look on his face. The redhead let go of his friend and backed off with an equally shaken expression.

"Oh no you didn't! You goddamn bastard, how could you do that to my sweet Hime-chan", he growled at Ichigo with made-up anger and smacked him on the back of the head. He yelped in pain and rubbed his assaulted head.

"I didn't, do you hear? I was just appalled that you could even think such things, you pervert", Ichigo muttered. Renji calmed down instantly and slapped Ichigo on the back in relief.

"You got me there for a second, Ichi. Don't scare me like that, I was just about to beat you up for traumatising my little Orihime." Ichigo looked at Renji in confusion.

"But, you know that she and Uryuu...You know."

"That's different, I know that Uryuu wouldn't let Orihime's first time be some drunken accident, he's got principles", the redhead said, "unlike some young punks I know." Ichigo didn't bother talking back at Renji on this, he could go on for hours. Sometimes he would taunt Ichigo about his lack of skills in the romantic department just to make him try to proof his words wrong and glomp him. So far no success.

"Alright, so it wasn't Orihime- chan, was it then Rangiku? No, she'd told me. Rukia maybe?" Ichigo's face contorted to a disturbed look.

"First of all, Byakuya would kill me dead if he found out, and he would, plus I don't really like girls with no...curves. That's what men are for." Renji chuckled at his friend's notion, he had noticed that Ichigo preferred her women voluptuous and really all woman. That's why his first guess had been Orihime, he knew she had had a crush on Ichigo for ages when they were younger but Ichigo had been too much of a social retard to notice it on time. And when he finally got it, Orihime herself had moved onto Uryuu, who had been secretly in love with her probably ever since they met. They weren't such an unlikely couple as one would think, Orihime's was really a shy girl who needed a caring and patient guy to cherish her, and Uryuu needed someone who could lure him out of his cold shell. _And at least he's not a total jerk when it comes to understanding other's feelings. He'd never hurt Orihime, he's way too smart for that. _

"Alright, so just tell me who it was", Renji gave up on the guessing game. Ichigo sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"I actually can't even remember", he said with a red face, "we were in some bar in a student party, I was drunk out of my skull and then woke up in her apartment, sneaked out and never saw her again. Or at least that's what I hope, I don't think I could even recognise her now." Renji shook his head in disapproval.

"That's just too stereotypical to be true, but I'll buy it. For now", he said, "I'll ask you again when you've drunk enough to be honest with me." Ichigo scoffed at him but let it go. The two men continued the walk back to Ichigo's apartment, striding between the growing mass of people on the street.


	8. Today My Heart Sways

**This is proving to become a long ass fic. Bear with me people.**

**I was wondering should I include stories about Renji's previous relationships in this fic or make them into their own stories. Something I need to think about, this is already dragging on far longer than I first thought so do I want to make it even longer by adding even more background stuff into it. I'd love to write about them anyway, I'm having a few ideas already. But if I put them here, we'll never get to RenjixIchi fluffiness! I'm starting to wonder if we get there even with this pace. Well, the show must go on anyway.**

**PS. If anyone recognised (probably not) the title of this chapter is from Interpol's song The Heinrich Manoeuvre, although the actual lyrics say "swings" not "sways", but I misheard it like that and chose to stick to it.**

**Today My Heart Sways**

The air was now nice and warm, Renji closed his eyes for a second to breathe in the air which already bore a promise of cold winter ahead. _These must be the last warm days we'll have, _he mused to himself while squinting his eyes in the sunlight. _I'll miss the summer. _But his feelings had a bittersweet taste to them, this year's summer was filled with memories about Grimmjow. _Guess I'll just have to make some new happy memories, _he thought and felt that already the pain in his chest was losing its sharpest edge and becoming bearable when thinking about his happiest times with Grimmjow. _Just hope it won't come back to kick me in the teeth later on, _he hemmed to himself as they finally arrived to Ichigo's flat.

The two friends sneaked back into Ichigo's flat trying to avoid any neighbours in the stairs. They unpacked their cold groceries in the fridge and left the chips and sorts in the bags on the table.

"I'll take a shower, then we can head to Urahara's. You don't have to come along if you don't want to", Ichigo smirked and winked his eye to Renji. The redhead responded with a made-up laugh and mumbled to himself about cheeky youngsters. Ichigo smirked and left the kitchen, where Renji could soon hear the sound of water pouring down in the shower. He slowly sunk into his memories of Urahara, secretly anxious to see his old lover.

_I wonder if he's changed. Highly unlikely but still possible. _It felt kind of nice to think that Urahara had stayed the same throughout the years. It was somehow comforting if some things didn't change. He was also nervous to see how he would react seeing him, of course he had bumped into him in parties since Rangiku and the others were his close friends but then he had usually sneaked away to some dark corner after the required exchanging of hello's. He hadn't actually seen him in daytime in years, or sober for that matter. _I'm one classy act aren't I, _he thought to himself. _Though he was the one who dumped me so I guess I have the right to avoid him as much as possible. _

Apart from being dumped, Renji didn't really have any bad feelings about Urahara. _Why am I thinking about him so formally, _he hemmed, _figures I could call him Kisuke since I've slept with him and all. Somehow he just has this air of superiority around him, I always felt weird calling him by the first name. Maybe 'cause I knew even then that he was a maneater and that I was only one of many. Still, _Renji stretched his arms out and let out a groan when his shoulders cracked, _I'm amazed Ichigo hasn't given up to his advances, Kisuke usually gets what he wants. _

It felt like a lifetime had passed since he'd been with Kisuke. _In a way I guess it has, I was only a kid when he laid his eyes on me. I'd like to think I've matured since, _the redhead hemmed thinking about their shopping spree, _but that's wishful thinking, apparently. Oh well, I've always wanted to live my life my way, not thinking about what others thought about me. I'd never done anything I'd spared thoughts to other people's opinions. Though Byakuya still seems to try and make me a real gentleman, _he scoffed mentally. _Maybe since he cannot stop his sister from spending time with me he tries to make me at least somewhat civilised. Or tried. _

_What's with all this sudden pining after my previous lovers, _Renji scolded himself. _Some sort of transition period? Now I'm getting way too philosophical with myself. _Still Renji couldn't help but to compare his earlier relationships in his head, the most serious ones had always seemed to be with older men, not much but few years here and there, but that's about all that they had in common. Byakuya was cool, restrained, almost emotionless bastard _(I have the right to call him that, he almost broke my heart),_ Kisuke seduced almost everything that moved, providing it was a young handsome man, and Grimmjow just took what he wanted. _I seem to be moving from one extreme to another. _

Ichigo had always seemed puzzled by his relationship with Byakuya, he wasn't a big fan of his. Maybe it was because he represented everything Byakuya disliked, he didn't respect authority, never used the appropriate suffix when talking to him, didn't obey the rules and always seemed to act on the basis of his feelings. _That's something Byakuya never does. Or almost never, _Renji chuckled. There was nothing better than seeing Byakuya lose control, even if it had happened only a couple of times. _And of course after that he had been more stuck up than before. Weird man._

Renji had finally grown tired of Byakuya's mood swings and the fact that they could never tell anyone about their relationship, let alone be seen in public. Renji wasn't a bit ashamed of himself but Byakuya had _responsibilities _and _expectations to fill. _Renji cringed at the words, _such hypocritical bastards the whole family. _In a way he felt sorry for Byakuya, though he had always lived a privileged life it came with a price. A price too high for Renji's taste, if it was him he'd run away years ago. But Byakuya had to take of care of the honour of the family, and most importantly, Rukia. _Bleh, too much thinking!, _the redhead exclaimed mentally. _First Grimmjow, then Kisuke and now him._ _I need to clear my head. _

While Renji tried to mentally purify his mind of his ex- lovers, Ichigo walked back into the kitchen, wearing dark jeans and a towel on his shoulders, scrubbing his hair dry with it. He had heard Renji's huffing in the living room and now that he saw his face it almost made him laugh. His whole face was contorted into a deep frown, like he was trying to solve a difficult puzzle. His lips were moving, as if he was talking to himself. Ichigo chuckled out loud, waking up Renji from his thoughts. _And now him, _the redhead summed up. _I wonder if he's gonna say anything about the kiss, he first seemed so happy but then in the cafe he kinda pulled back, and then I haven't felt anything from him. Before I could almost touch the tension between us but now...nothing. I guess I was too deep in my thoughts to even think about it. _

_Maybe I should confront him about the kiss and all, _the younger man thought. _First he flirts with me, then we kiss, then he suddenly is all sobby again and crying after Grimmjow and saying he's not over it. Talk about confusing me. _Ichigo finished drying his hair and folded the towel in his hands. _I'm just all over the place if I don't know what he really feels. _

"Renji", he finally mumbled. His friend perked up and raised his eyebrows to him, waiting for him to continue. Ichigo swallowed nervously and licked his lips that had suddenly gone dry. _Now I feel stupid when he looks at me._

"I was just thinking about that...kiss...we had before...you know, in the laundry room", he managed to utter, stumbling in his words like a nervous teenager. His friend nodded and crossed his arms in his chest but saying nothing. Ichigo's nervous habit of fumbling his hair kicked in and he tried to clear his throat.

"And I was just, you know, wondering what you think about it...about us." He looked warily at Renji, who now staring at his toes. He was already regretting that he had said anything, he didn't even know what he would prefer to hear, that Renji hadn't meant anything by the kiss or that he wanted to be with him. _On one hand I don't want to ruin anything between us but I do...like him, if even not more._

Renji finally exhaled and raised his head to look at Ichigo, who already braced himself for the inevitable rejection that was to come. He buried his fingers into the towel he was still holding on and bit his lip, like he was waiting for real physical pain.

"Ichigo, I..." Renji started and Ichigo's grip on the towel tightened. Renji placed his hands on the table and leaned back on them.

"You know that I do care for you," he continued keeping his eyes on Ichigo. He could see that the young man was about to fall apart on the spot so he would need to be gentle about this.

"But as I said before, I'm still not completely over Grimmjow. And I don't want to get you tangled up in my own mess." Ichigo nodded slightly and lowered his eyes to the floor. Renji smiled sadly and walked over to him, placing his hands on his shoulders, trying to comfort him.

"If you could give me some time to clear my head, then, if you still want to, we could really be together and see if it works out." Renji lifted Ichigo's chin up so he could look him in the eyes.

"You're okay with that?" he asked softly. Ichigo managed to smile and nod. _That wasn't as bad as I thought. Now I just have to contain myself until he's okay. I wonder how long that will take._

"I have to say that I already feel much better, thanks to you", Renji smiled to him, "if you hadn't picked me up last night I'd still be wallowing in pity and sorrow, so your intervention was just what the doctor ordered. And to be frank, I'd love nothing more than to hold you right now but it'll have to wait." He tapped Ichigo on the shoulder for one more time and then let go of the youngster.

"How long do I have to wait then", he asked tentatively. Renji frowned at him.

"I can't say Ichigo, but I'll promise you, you'll be the first one to know."

"So you until then you won't be sleeping around with other men just to get off." The redhead stepped back hearing his friend's almost angry remarks. Inside his head Ichigo cursed, he didn't mean it to sound like that.

"I'm sorry Renji, I didn't mean it like that." But the damage was done already.

"So you're saying that I have to already be faithful to you, do I? Geez, Ichi, I didn't know you were that jealous."

"I'm NOT, I just want to know if you're gonna get yourself a rebound guy or few while I wait for you to sort your head out", Ichigo snapped back.

"That seems to be your way of dealing with break ups, doesn't it?" Renji glared at him from under his brow.

"What do you mean?" His friend scoffed in anger, though he knew he was already too far into the water, it wouldn't help to back down now anyway.

"Oh come on, like I haven't heard. Judging by what you said at the cafe, you've done nothing but slept around for the last few weeks, and I heard you did exactly the same when Urahara left you. You're becoming quite predictable, my friend", he hissed out the last words full of poison. Renji just stared at him in bewilderment.

"And now I'm supposed to take your flirting and watch you leave home with other men until you've had enough sex with strangers and could use someone whose name you actually know, is that what you mean by 'waiting'?" Ichigo felt out of breath, and he immediately regretted every word he had said. But he knew it was true and he had to hear it from Renji. He had fallen for him way too badly that he could stand seeing him with anyone else now, he just couldn't bear it.

Renji was silent, his expression had toned down into a blank stare as Ichigo stopped his rant.

"Would you prefer it to be you?" he suddenly asked. Ichigo looked puzzled.

"To be what?"

"The one I take home with me. Is that the case, you just want to have sex with me?" The younger man cringed and shook his head in desperation.

"No, that's not what I meant..."

"Oh, well that's too bad, I'd been glad to hear that you'd be so easy to please." Hearing the redhead's words felt like Ichigo'd swallowed something sharp. His skin was prickling and his face felt flushed. _It wasn't supposed to go like this. _He looked at Renji with anguish and pleaded in his mind _please, don't do this me now, please. _

"Renji, please, I'm sorry, please listen to me", he grabbed Renji's hand in his own and caressed the skin of his wrist with his thumb.

"I didn't mean it like that, I'm just too...If I see you with anyone else now I just can't take it. And it's not because I want you all to myself, I mean I do want that but not before you're ready. I just thought you should know that..." his voice finally faded away and he stared at Renji's hand that was still in his grip. He couldn't read what the redhead was thinking. He was desperately pleading in his head that he hadn't gone too far.

To his surprise he felt Renji's other hand rumbling his hair and heard him chuckle in a low voice. _Sounds more like a purr. _

"You're really thick, aren't you Ichi." Ichigo raised his head and saw Renji smirking at him.

"And you really need to brush up on your delivery, I first couldn't make out that you actually cared for me in that rant of yours", he said, "you could've just said that you don't want me to sleep around then I'd said yeah. Silly Berry." Renji pecked Ichigo lightly on the forehead, petting his orange hair.

"I...I thought you were mad at me", Ichigo mumbled in relief. The older man hemmed and his hand slipped from Ichigo's head to his neck, where he stroked the side of his face with his thumb.

"I know you, Ichigo, you can get really fired up in a second but you mean no harm. And I accept your apology, just don't presume that you know everything about me, I'm not some cold sex maniac. Though I could use a good shag right now", he grinned at Ichigo's blushing face, "but it can wait. If I can wait, then I'm hoping that so can you." He leaned forward taking a firmer grip on Ichigo's neck and pressed a light kiss on his lips. He felt Ichigo's hand on his waist, trying to pull him closer. _And God knows I want to! _Renji reflected before reluctantly pulling away. _But I have to be a man of my word now. It'll all get way too fucked up if I get Ichigo involved in my mess now. _

Ichigo looked at him pouting his mouth, disappointed look on his face. Renji had to resist the urge to kiss him again when he looked at him like that. He could feel the familiar heat already pooling down in his groin, which he tried to dismiss. Sex with strangers wasn't all that cracked up it was thought to be and though Renji sometimes indulged in it he by far preferred sex while sober and with someone whose name he knew, as Ichigo so elegantly had put it. And that in the morning he didn't have to be prepared to gnaw off his own hand to get out of the strange apartment. _Well, I do know his name and he certainly is someone who I'd love to have beside me in the morning...God, I need a drink. Or a cold shower, or both. _

"I'm gonna take a shower" he said and quickly slipped round Ichigo and practically ran into the shower.

"You still want to come with me to Urahara's?" Ichigo shouted behind him. The only answer he got was incoherent mumbling which he took as a yes. His head was still spinning from all that just happened and he breathed in deeply to calm his nerves down. _All in all, it went better than expected. Though he's right, I need to learn how to talk to people without offending them unintentionally. _Still shaking his head he walked to the coffee machine and started to load it, _I need some good olde caffeine to calm my down. How very illogical, _he hemmed when his med student's training contradicted his thinking. _I must be really addicted to caffeine if I need it to calm me down. _

Ichigo glanced at the clock on the wall, it was way past noon already. Rangiku had said they could meet up at seven, so they had plenty of time to visit Urahara's. _But I need to find myself a clean shirt before that. I could get the laundry now while the coffee is brewing, _he mused as he started the coffee maker and walked to the front door, snatching the keys from the nail on the wall. _Of course now I'll bump into that horrible woman when I'm walking around half- naked, _he grimaced as he sneaked out of the front door. _Or even more likely that weird old man from the second floor will glomp me when I walk past. A fortune for an elevator. _

Under the cold shower Renji was trying hard not to bang his head on the wall. _I'm too sober for this shit, _he thought while turning the faucet even colder, letting out a small shriek when the icy water hit his skin. Maybe the cold could distract him enough for the rest of the day, or at least until he got his hands on some alcohol. His lust for Ichigo almost made him forget every noble thing he had just said but he was determined to do everything right this time. _I don't want that this ends as ugly as every time before. I should've by now learned something, even if it's not falling for guys who are A. so deep in the closet their asses are on Narnia, B. man-eating gigolos who go through ten guys in a day or C. violent thugs with serious commitment issues to deal with. I'd guess Ichigo doesn't fall into any of those categories. What's left then, evil sadistic narcissist? No, I guess Grimmjow pretty much covered that one._

When he finally felt that his limbs were numb from the cold he turned off the water and quickly grabbed a towel to dry himself. He was shivering as he ruffled his long mane with the towel, leaving it a tangled mess. He looked at himself in the mirror and grimaced. _I'll have to deal with that later, now it's too damn cold. _He patted the rest of his body dry enough so he could put on his clothes again and stepped out of the bathroom. Ichigo was nowhere to be seen when he walked into the living room and peered into the kitchen, where fresh coffee bubbled in the table.

"Thank you, Ichi", he murmured to himself and started to roam through the cupboards looking for a clean mug. He picked out the biggest one and poured it full of the steaming liquid, dropping four sugars into it and taking a long swig. He could hear the front door opening and soon enough Ichigo walked into the kitchen, buttoning on a clean black shirt. He glanced at Renji whilst struggling with one particularly uncooperative button.

"I see you helped yourself to my coffee", he remarked as he finally managed to conquer all the buttons. He smoothed down the front of his shirt and walked to Renji to get himself a cup. The men drank their beverages in thoughtful silence until Ichigo took the final swig of his coffee and rinsed the cup quickly under the tap. He looked at the clock again and then drew out his phone from his pocket. He pressed some buttons and raised it to his ear.

"I'll call Urahara and tell him that we're coming over", he explained to Renji, who kept his eyes down and nodded while taking a sip from his mug. Ichigo's phone rang few times before being answered at the other end.

"Urahara Kisuke, how can I be of service", said a velvety voice. Renji cringed inwardly and quickly emptied his mug, grimacing at the last lumps of sugar at the bottom.

"Hiya Urahara- san, I was just here hanging around with Renji and I thought if we could come over, you said you wanted to see me", Ichigo answered, smirking widely at his friend and giving him a dirty wink. Renji huffed and decided to leave Ichigo talk to Urahara in private, marching to the living room and demonstratively turning the TV on loudly.

"Ah yes, Kurosaki- san, you are most correct", Urahara chuckled, "I'd be honoured to be accompanied by you and your delightful friend. I actually think I haven't seen him in a while, is he well?" Ichigo was always bit taken aback by Urahara's formal language, the whole man oozed something kindle to the old times gentleman ideal. _I mean, he's always wearing a suit, though not very formal one but suit all in all. Even if it's rumbled he somehow makes it...sophisticated. Though it does nothing to help with his gigolo's reputation, and I guess that's the point. _

"Umm, yeah, he's just dandy", Ichigo replied glancing to the living room where the said man had sprawled himself on the couch, effectively taking up all the space on it. _Does he seriously think of going out with his hair like that? People will think he's a swamp monster of some kind. _

"So, when could we come by?"

"Oh, well, let me check my calendar first, my dear boy", Urahara said and Ichigo actually heard him going through some papers. He could also make out the sound of him licking his finger to turn the pages. _The man is obviously stuck to the middle ages, no one does that anymore._

"Well well, it seems that I have the whole day totally free. You can come by anytime you like. Should I ask Tessai to prepare some tea for you?"

"No thanks, we're fine", Ichigo said turning off the coffee maker. He walked into the living room and nudged Renji on the couch.

"Alright then, I guess I'll be seeing you boys soon enough. Bye- bye!" The phone clicked and Ichigo dropped it back to his pocket. Renji looked up to him from the couch.

"So, we're going?" Ichigo shook his head and pointed at his friend's fiery mane.

"Not before you've sorted that out. God, you can make yourself into a mess quicker than a five-year-old, I swear..." Renji patted himself on the head as he recalled what he had looked like in the mirror.

"Oh, you're right. Do you have a comb or something?" Ichigo looked around the room.

"Aaaa, let me go check, I just might have something..." his voice trailed away as he walked back to his bedroom leaving Renji trying to tame his locks with his fingers. _Maybe I could just tie it into a ponytail and sort it out later, Orihime always does wonders to it. She must have magic hands or something. Now where did I put my scarf, it hides most of it anyway, _he contemplated as he battled with his hair. _Ah, there, _he drew the scarf out of his back pocket and then started to look for something to tie his mane with. _I should've bought new ones, I go through with those bands way too quickly. _

Ichigo came back empty handed. He watched from the doorway as Renji rummaged through his pockets looking for something, holding his white scarf between his teeth and still trying to comb through his hair with his long fingers, not really succeeding in anything. _This is just hopeless, _he thought to himself as he stepped to his friends side, took the scarf off his mouth and gestured him to turn around. Renji looked at him quizzically, raising one of his brows to him.

"I've had to play with dolls with Yuzu so I know a lot of grooming hair, so turn around, I'll try to fix it for you." Renji shrugged his shoulders and shuffled around in the couch with his back to Ichigo.

The younger man started to untangle his friend's long red strands with his delicate fingers and occasionally massaging gently his scalp. _I wonder how he can keep his hair so soft though he always seems to nearly beat it into submission, _he mused inwardly as he tackled the biggest knots of hair. Before long the whole mane was smoothed down and Ichigo braided it carefully as it were before and then tied the scarf around Renji's head. He patted him over the head.

"There, you look presentable once more." Renji ran his hand over his head and hair and smiled. _Ichigo sure has good hands...Oh for Christ's sake, do you have to turn anything into a fantasy, you dirty, dirty man!_

"Thanks a bunch, Ichi", he said out loud, getting up from the couch and turning to face his friend.

"I can probably return the favour in some time", he continued pointing at Ichigo's outgrown mop. The younger man ruffled his own locks with a frown on his face.

"I think it's fine. But I guess it's a bit long."

"I like it like that", Renji declared, "it's good to have something to grab onto." Ichigo blushed at this remark and slapped his friend on the arm.

"You're one dirty bastard, you know that." Renji snickered and snatched Ichigo into a headlock, ruffling his hair with his knuckles. The younger man exclaimed and tried to wriggle free, finally succeeding and backing off from Renji, rubbing his assaulted head.

"And you like it, Berry. Don't try to deny it", the redhead smirked victoriously. All he got was a roll of the eyes and an out stuck tongue from Ichigo, who turned on his heel to the front door.

"Let's go already, Urahara's probably itching to see you", he remarked grinning. Renji shook his head and followed suit, inwardly bracing himself for the meeting of his ex- lover.

**pps. My obsession with coffee is giving the characters a gastric ulcer**.


	9. Remember The Names You Gave Me

**Hiya! Sorry for the late update, this site has been erroring me for the last few weeks but now it works again, yay! So now you get two chapters at once, how cool is that?**

**Just read through the whole existing story, I have already forgotten some things I've written! No wonder some things make no sense, I'm such a horrible and nonsensical writer. Geez, found a lot of typos too, apparently Microsoft Word's spell-check first lets me get away with some grammatical errors and later laughs at them, nice. Should pay more attention to what I'm writing, nothing ruins the mood as badly as some stupid typo in the middle of things.  
**

**Btw, I read from Bleach wiki that Urahara is based on the Moomin's character, Nuuskamuikkunen aka. Snufkin. I was thrilled to hear this, I love Moomins and especially Snufkin :D They have little bit of the same look as well, glad in green and all. **

**Nothing much in this chapter really, almost like a filler (bleh). Too much schoolwork and shit to think about. Next chapter will have a little more stuff actually happening. But I hope you'll enjoy it anyway. Read&review, as always.**

**Remember The Names You Gave Me**

The streets were crowding with people by now. Renji and Ichigo made their way towards Urahara's place, bantering loudly as they went. Some people stared at the dynamic duo as Renji smacked Ichigo on the back of the head and snickered evilly as he in turn tried to grab hold of his braid as a payback.

"You're still too slow, Ichi" he smirked holding onto his friend's wrists while he tried to wrench them free, "you'd have to train years in order to be a match for me." Ichigo glared at him and wiped to grin of his face by sweeping him off his feet with a swift kick to his shins. Renji's eyes widened in surprise as he felt his feet lose contact with the ground beneath him and he tightened his hold on Ichigo's hands to keep himself in balance, resulting in them both tumbling down to the pavement.

People quickly swiveled past them as they lay on the ground, Renji trying to catch his breath which was struck out of his lungs and Ichigo rubbing his bottom which had hit the ground with force.

"You Berry idiot", Renji managed to mutter when he finally was able to draw breath.

"You were asking for it, old man", Ichigo retaliated, wincing slightly. _I'll probably have a huge bruise tomorrow, great. _The men stumbled back on to their feet, both muttering under their breath about how stupid to other one was. But after few minutes, they were at it once again, Renji slapping Ichigo's ass and then running away howling with laughter when the younger man shrieked in pain and started to pursue his friend, hurling insults after the redhead.

Soon enough they arrived at Urahara's place, which was a dark and hazy jazz club at the edge of the town centre. The place looked almost deserted but in fact inside was the town's most exquisite and exclusive bar. This was no place for some D- class celebs, it was always packed with people who really meant something in this city, people behind it all. Ichigo's Dad knew Urahara from years back and Urahara was a familiar sight in the Kurosaki house. Now when Ichigo had started his medical studies, Urahara had offered his assistance and knowledge. Despite being the owner of a shady club, he was in fact a scientist by nature, or that's what Ichigo had heard. His Dad was a doctor so maybe they had met when they were students, he didn't know. Urahara was a mysterious fellow.

Ichigo knocked on the door and they waited. Soon the door was opened by a huge man with dark skin and brown hair that was braided along his head. He had a fancy moustache and small glasses and he was dressed as a waiter with white shirt with a black apron tied to his hips and dark trousers.

"Ah, Kurosaki- dono and Abarai- dono, do come in. I shall note the owner that you have arrived." Ichigo smiled to the man while Renji had tucked his hands deep into his pockets and was looking as awkward as a small boy waiting to be scolded. They followed the tall man into the darkness of the club and they could now hear a faint sound of a saxophone jamming somewhere at the back.

Renji could feel a déjà-vu kicking in. Urahara usually performed at the club, he was a master at playing the saxophone. The playful, somehow erotic sound of the instrument combined with Urahara's own character was a combination that never failed to catch the eyes of everyone that came into the club. Women and men alike salivated over him as he played the sax while swaying his whole body subtly according to the rhythm of the music. He looked the epitome of cool while his quick and skillful fingers played over the instrument, making most people imagine themselves in its place. _And he does know how the handle a human body as well as the sax, if not even better._

When they came to the back of the club, there was a simple small platform with a single spotlight that was now concentrated on the blond, slender man who was sitting on a barstool at the center of the platform. He had a saxophone in his hands and he was playing out a smooth tune with it, his eyes closed and his feet tapping rhythm on the floor. He didn't seem to notice them and continued his playing. But Renji knew that Urahara had probably known they were there before they had even set their foot in. _He's so goddamn sly, you almost don't notice it. _

"Urahara- dono, your guests have arrived", the towering man announced with his deep voice. The blond man finished his tune with a soft note and finally raised his eyes to them. His grey eyes were almost covered by his messy blond hair but Renji could instantly feel a shiver run through his body when he felt Urahara's gaze on him. He had always felt as though the man could see straight through him, he may seem harmless enough and he does act like it but in truth he was a force to be reckoned with. Not anyone could have survived in the circumstances Urahara had. _And he's way too smart for his own good. I couldn't understand half of what he does in a hundred years. _

Urahara's face was lit with a bright smile and he rose up from his chair and stepped off the platform, placing his sax on the floor. The worn out black suit he was wearing was wrinkled like he had slept in it but he seemed oddly sophisticated, like a man of the world who had more important things to think about than the state of his suit. And he managed to look better than most men who wore impeccable suits.

"Kurosaki- san, I'm so glad you came!" he exclaimed jovially, patting Ichigo on the shoulder. Then he turned his eyes to Renji, who answered to his gaze with a stern look in his brown eyes.

"Abarai-san, long time no see. I trust you are well?" Urahara's voice was lower and softer when he spoke to Renji, not very far from the tone of voice he used to use with him. _If I was drunk as usually when I see him, I probably wouldn't notice, _the redhead thought. He only nodded slightly as a response, then looked away from the man.

Urahara hemmed and turned his attention to Ichigo once more.

"So, should we go straight down to business?" he asked with a grin. Renji could feel jealousy starting to boil somewhere in his guts when he saw the way Urahara eyed Ichigo. _The man has no shame. _

"Yeah, let's do" Ichigo answered and looked at the scowling redhead. _He's really wound- up. Like I would really jump into bed with Urahara- san. Though it's not because he hasn't tried to make me, _Ichigo rolled his eyes inwardly as he remembered almost the countless times the older man had come onto him, sometimes in very public places even. It was more embarrassing than anything, and what's more, other people who actually lusted after Urahara glared at him for turning the man down. _Seriously, what's wrong with these people and their obsessions? Bleh!_

"Tessai will keep Abarai- san company" Urahara said with a voice that took no objections, "if you would care to follow me, Kurosaki –san." The blond turned to walk into the back rooms of the club, Ichigo following in suit. Renji knew better than to try and argue with Urahara, the man might appear laid-back and relaxed but if something went against him, there was a hell to pay. _Oh how I hate people who are like that, _Renji growled mentally. If there had been one good thing about Grimmjow it was that you got what you saw. He looked like a stupid, sadistic and suicidal bastard and that was pretty much what he was.

Renji sighed and shook his head, looking at Tessai who stood beside him silently. _And who the hell is this guy? He's got to be one hell of a tough guy if Urahara trusts him and lets him be his "bodyguard" or whatever. Yet again someone who's not what he seems. It's all goddamn smokes and mirrors here. _

"Care to give me a drink, Tessai?" he asked, voice strained from all the cursed trickery. The tall man nodded and walked behind to counter. Renji lopped himself on a bar stool and leaned his chin in his palms. There were rows and rows of dusty bottles behind the counter, most of which looked like they were never meant for drinking, more likely to melt paint from walls. Tessai picked out a few bottles at seemingly random and mixed them in a tall glass, which he then placed in front of Renji. The redhead took a careful sip of it, Tessai's drinks tended to be on par with Rangiku's, though they didn't taste half as bad. _And I guess that's even worse._

He grimaced at the drink, he could almost feel the alcohol shooting straight up to his head.

"You look like you could use something stronger", the tall man said with an indifferent tone and picked up some glasses to polish. Renji sneered and shook his head at the whole situation. Here he was, a "troubled" young man and an understanding bartender. _After what seemed a cliché…_he thought taking another taste of his drink, not saying anything. He knew that anything he said to Tessai would go straight to Urahara.

The two men waited in silence, Renji quietly finishing his drink and Tessai polishing the already shiny glasses. The tattooed man couldn't help but to feel his mind dwelling back into memories of the past, when he used to spend most of his free time at this very counter, listening to Urahara play and after that, follow him to his private room upstairs. _How long ago was that, it feels like an eternity…It was after Byakuya, it was surprisingly refreshing to be involved with someone who was ready to openly flaunt his affections towards me. God, I can still remember the time when Byakuya saw us together for the first time, one of the few times I've actually seen him show any feelings. But he rallied himself up quite quickly I have to give him that. _

They had come to here spend the evening among friends, and since the Kuchiki's were a distinguished family of course they were welcomed very warmly to Urahara's. Mostly to spend their money on hugely expensive drinks, but Byakuya hadn't batted an eye while paying. Though he seemed to detest Urahara for some reason or other, he tolerated the man since he treated him with according respect he thought he deserved. _But I guess I ruined even that from him when Kisuke came to our table after his show and practically mauled me on the table, right in front of him. _Renji couldn't help himself feeling a grin creep up to his face when he remembered the look on Byakuya's face, he loved to wrench at least some kind of reaction out of that stone of a man. _Usually I had to work for hours to get him to change his expression._

Urahara was very affectionate in public towards his conquests, making it clear to everyone who was his. In that way he was a true opposite of Byakuya, who hadn't even told his sister about his relationship with Renji. Even when they had been alone, he wasn't a big fan of cuddling and "unnecessary touching". _What the hell is that supposed to mean? But I guess he knew it would have to end at some point so there was no point in getting too caught up in it. Still, what a stiff bastard. _

Anyway, Urahara had come to greet them and then turned his attention to Renji, wrapping his arms around him and ravishing him right then and there, with everyone's eyes fixed on them. Renji could have felt the jealousy glares on him when Urahara had slipped his hand under his shirt, the other one grabbing hold of his red locks. Rukia had snickered at them alongside with Yoruichi but Byakuya looked like he'd been struck by a lightning. But he was too polite to leave immediately, especially now when everyone looked at them. So he had silently fumed in his seat, probably clenching his fists so hard his knuckles went white.

Now that Renji thought about it in retrospect, it had been awfully cruel to him. Urahara didn't have to the social and political duties that Byakuya did, so he could live his life the way he wanted. Byakuya could never do that, and sticking that fact in his face must have felt terrible. _I should be ashamed, _Renji grimaced and emptied his glass, sliding it to Tessai across the counter. The man quickly returned the glass filled up. _But he did say that someone like __**me**__ could never understand his life and the pressure he faced. Someone like __**me**__,_ he scoffed inwardly and took a long swig of his drink, which tasted somehow of strawberries. Renji glanced at Tessai who was now highly interested in an invisible smudge in one of the glasses. _Is it that obvious? _

In that moment Ichigo and Urahara came back to the bar, the blond man had draped his other arm round the young man's shoulders. They were murmuring to each other and Urahara was carefully fondling the overgrown strands of Ichigo's hair. The young man seemed unimpressed by the touches and kept his own hands firmly tucked into his pockets. Once they reached the counter Urahara seemingly reluctantly removed his arm of Ichigo and turned his attention to Renji once more. The redhead could already feel a slight buzz in his head from the alcohol he had been consuming and was glad that his senses weren't at their keenest right now. _Now I can just let every little hint slip by me and maybe even ignore him lusting over Ichigo. _

"Oi Renji, have you already started drinking?" Ichigo asked grabbing his glass and sniffing the liquid inside it. He immediately grimaced at it.

"How much have you had?"

"Just one before that, nothing much", the redhead answered reaching back for his glass. Ichigo cocked his eyebrow, he saw that Renji was already feeling a bit woozy. _Got to get him out of here or he passes out before we even get to Rangiku's place. _

"Thanks Urahara- san, you were great help" he said now grabbing hold of Renji and raising him to his feet. _Geez, this is gonna be a long day. _He turned to flash a quick smile to the blond man, who was leaning his elbow on the counter, tending to the two men under his messy hair. He returned the smile and waved his other hand in the air.

"Always a pleasure to help, Kurosaki- san. Don't hesitate to come over again if you need anything", his smile turned into a grin, "and I mean _anything._" The young man nodded quickly and started to navigate Renji out of the club. His friend wasn't really resisting and let himself be outed of the building quite quickly.

"See you soon Abarai- san!" Urahara exclaimed after them with his usual jolly tone. Renji merely mumbled something in response and flailed his other hand back to him. The men stepped out of the club into the fresh air, leaving Urahara and his bartender alone beside the counter. Urahara shook his head with a chuckle and looked at Tessai, who was still tending to his glasses.

"What do you think, Tessai- san?" he asked. His friend raised his gaze to him. His face was unreadable.

"I trust you know what you are doing, Urahara- dono" he said with certain detachment. The blond man scoffed and turned his back on the counter. Of course he did, but that's not what he wanted to hear. For just once it would be great to have someone tell him he was completely wrong and he should sort himself out. _But of course no one dares to. Except for Yoruichi maybe, but she too thinks I know better than to involve myself in anything that is beyond me. And she thinks there is no such thing. _Urahara sighed inwardly and made his way back to the platform, picking up his saxophone and looking it at appraisingly. It was something he turned to every time he needed to distract himself from everything else. The smooth sound it made helped him forget everything, even if for just a while. He raised the instrument to his lips and started to play out a slow, deliberate tune.

Outside Ichigo exhaled deeply and looked at Renji, who was fidgeting with his braided hair.

"You okay Renji?" he asked. The redhead snapped his head up and nodded, his thoughts seemingly somewhere else.

"Let's head home, I' m yearning for a power nap before the evening." The men started to walk back to Ichigo's apartment, both once again lost in thoughts. Renji soon broke the brief silence.

"So what did he help you with?" Ichigo shrugged his shoulders ambiguously.

"Just some stuff I need for my studies. He's actually really smart, you know", the young man said scratching the back of his head, "you wouldn't guess it just by his appearances but as soon as you talk with him you realise that he's just...out of this world really, I don't understand why he isn't a scientist or something."

Renji scoffed, he didn't need any convincing about Urahara's intelligence. He had gotten a true "Science for dummies" –lesson when he had been Urahara, he seemed to excel in everything he did. Renji remembered when he had sometimes come over and found Urahara buried in his study, surrounded by mountains of books and some weird chemistry equipment.

"_What's with all this science stuff you're always doing", _he had asked while wrapping his arms around Urahara's neck from behind, placing a line of kisses on the blond man's neck trying to distract him from his work. Urahara had hemmed at him, caressing his arms and leaving his experiments for the moment. He had turned around in his chair, pulling Renji in his lap and silencing his questions with ravaging kisses.

After sex, he had sat by the open window, playing soft tunes with his saxophone, Renji laying naked on the bed and listening with his eyes closed. His red mane had glued to his forehead and upper body from sweat and his whole body had still been shivering from sheer delight and the cool night air that flowed in from the window. He had looked at Urahara with a smug grin on his face and sat up on the bed, patting the space beside him.

"_Come over here"._ Urahara had lowered his instrument and smiled softly to him, walked to the foot of the bed and crawled between Renji's legs.

"_You're quite insatiable"_ he had murmured to his ear while stroking his muscular body with his delicate fingers. Renji had just chuckled and pulled the blond man on top of him.

_"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day", _Urahara had continued trailing a line of kisses across his neck and face _"or whop it up thee straight away?"* _Renji had barked out a laugh and now was his turn to silence the other man with a savage kiss.

"Oi Renji, we're here!" Ichigo cruelly interrupted his friend's fantasy with his sudden announcement. He was looking at Renji with his eyebrows knitted together, the dreamy look on his face and the pleased grin on his lips didn't look right. _Seriously, what's with the mood swings? First he didn't want to go, then he gets all grumpy and drunk, now he's just dandy again. Men, _Ichigo contemplated inwardly as he started to climb the stairs up to his apartment. He rattled the keys in the lock and let them inside. Renji's duffel bag was still next to the door and he kicked it out of the way. He then made his way onto the couch and sprawled himself across it. Renji followed suit and pushed Ichigo's long legs out of his way to make room for himself. Both men rested their heads on the couch's back and they sat in silence for a minute. Then Ichigo felt how Renji started to tickle the soles of his feet and quickly tried to draw them away from his grasp, managing to kick his friend on the chin in action.

"Hey, what's with the manhandling today?" the older man asked rubbing his violated face. Ichigo shuffled himself closer to Renji and slapped his hands away, taking his face to his own hands and examining his chin. Renji let his hands drop to his sides and had to resist the urge to close his eyes and lean forward when the young man was staring intently at his chin. _He has soft hands_. Renji instinctively glanced down at his own calloused hands that were more used to rack engines and cars than turn the pages of exam books. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't even remember the last time he had read a whole book, or even a newspaper apart from the comics and sport pages. _Goddamn Berry is making me feel self- conscious all the sudden, he must be ten times smarter than me. But I guess after Byakuya and Kisuke I'm quite used to being the dumb one. I get by with my looks anyway, _he chuckled inwardly as Ichigo pulled away being finally satisfied that he hadn't caused him any permanent damage.

"It's okay Ichi, I don't break that easily" he grinned and stretched his legs across the couch to Ichigo's lap. The younger man first tried to slap the feet but then gave up and settled himself under his friend's legs. He placed his hands on them and after a while started to absentmindedly stroke them. Renji rested his head back on the arm of the couch, letting his one arm drop off the couch towards the floor and the other settled on his chest. Soon enough he was already lulled into sleep, his breath steadying and his chest rising and falling regularly. Ichigo's hands were still lightly caressing the redhead's legs and he felt how his eyelids were growing heavy. He let out a yawn and nestled his body better to the corner of the couch. _I need to gather up some energy for the night, otherwise I'll fall asleep in the bar, _he thought and glanced at Renji one more time before dozing off to a light sleep.

***Line from Have I Got News For You s38e01 by Martin Clunes. Had to use it somewhere xD**


	10. Gravity Is Weaker When You're near

**Gravity Is Weaker When You're Near**

Ichigo snapped awake from his lovely dream to the sound of his mobile phone ringing. Droopily he patted his pockets and suddenly realised that he was lying on top of Renji, who was still fast asleep. _I must have fallen sideways and on top of him. _Ichigo's face was placed on Renji's abdomen, his one hand was stretched towards Renji's face and the other one wrapped around his waist. _How long have I slept like this, _he thought to himself while his phone still rang. Renji was now stirring from his sleep and opened his eyes groggily, and looked down at Ichigo who was still resting his head on his stomach. Slowly a wry grin crept to his face and he reached his hand to ruff Ichigo's hair. The younger man smiled back and wanted to snuggle his head against the redhead's stomach but his phone was still demanding attention.

"Don't answer it", Renji husked to him, stroking his cheek with his calloused fingers. Ichigo groaned in agreement but then reluctantly rose up from the couch and reached into his pocket for the phone. He looked at the name on the screen and furrowed his brows.

"It's Uryuu" he said and put the phone on his ear, "Oi Uryuu, what's up?" Even Renji could hear Uryuu's irritated sigh at the other end.

"Kurosaki, how many times do I need to tell you not to be so goddamn chummy with me" Uryuu's voice rang from the phone Ichigo held between him and Renji so he too could hear what he said. The two friends snickered and tried to muffle it with their hands.

"Aww Uryuu, don't be like that, I've known you for ages, we're roommates for God's sake!" Ichigo hollered back and smirked to Renji, who was grinning widely. Uryuu was known to be a bit stuck-up and teasing him was great fun for the two of them.

"I don't care, I want you to use the proper honorific with me, it's bad enough that I have to live with you in the campus and see you prance around the room everyday when I'm trying to study." Renji cocked his brow and smirked to the younger man.

"You _prance_ around your room, Ichi?" Ichigo scoffed and returned his attention to the phone.

"Is Renji there with you?" his friend called out from the other end, "I thought I heard his voice."

"Yeah, he's here", Ichigo answered looking at the redhead who had crossed his arms to his chest and smiling smugly at him. He rolled his eyes to him and snapped to phone to his ear so Renji couldn't hear everything.

"Okay, Inoue told me that you went by the cafe today. She seemed excited, is there something you want to tell me, Kurosaki?" Uryuu's voice had a cunning ring to it that Ichigo hadn't heard before. He could feel a blush creeping up to his face when he remembered what he had told Orihime earlier that day.

"I- I'll explain later. By the way, why are you calling your girlfriend by her last name, even I call her Orihime." Uryuu sighed once again at his friend's ignorance.

"That's because you have no manners and I do."

"Do you call her Inoue even when you're _alone_ with her?" Ichigo hinted with suggestive tone in his voice. He could see how Uryuu's face was getting redder by the minute.

"Of-of course not, but that's private! Argh, why am I even having this conversation with you?"

"Wouldn't know, you called me", the carrot top snickered back. He could hear how Uryuu's nerves were starting to crack. Then he heard a soft female voice in the background mumbling quietly to his friend and he could almost see how Orihime was trying to calm her boyfriend. He hemmed and smiled at the mental image of his two best friends together. _They make a great pair._

He heard Uryuu sigh deeply and murmur something back to Orihime then returned his attention to the phone call.

"Alright Kurosaki, Inoue asked to tell you that I will pick you up this evening then we'll go together to Rangiku's place." Ichigo cackled at Uryuu's reluctant tone.

"You don't have to pick us up, Uryuu, we can go there by foot."

"No, Inoue needs to take her food there by car anyway and you're on the way there so I'll pick you up in an hour. Be ready by then." Ichigo waited for him to end the call and was already putting the phone down when Uryuu called out from the phone.

"Oh yeah, and give me best to Abarai- san. And let him know not to do this ever again, Inoue's been sick with worry and it's all his fault." Despite his harsh words Ichigo could hear a slight worry in Uryuu's voice. He smiled again and nodded.

"Don't worry I'll be sure to let him know", he said looking at Renji who was raising his tattooed brows at him. He placed the phone on the coffee table after hearing the last goodbyes from his friend and stretched his arms over his head.

"So what did he have to say?" the redhead asked him, nudging him into the ribs. The younger man flinched away from him and settled into the other end of the couch, crossing his legs in meditative position. He leaned his elbows to his knees and leaned his chin on his palms. He lolled his head back and forth on his hands stretching his neck. Renji extended his own long legs into Ichigo's lap crossing his own hands behind his head.

"He said that he and Orihime will pick us up in an hour", Ichigo said glancing at the clock on the wall, "and then we'll go to Rangiku's. " Renji groaned and stretched his legs even further so they were by Ichigo's sides. The younger man lowered his hands to Renji's shins and stroked them like he had before they had fallen asleep. He felt the urge to reach further up on the redhead's legs but had to hold himself back. _Maybe later._

Renji smiled to Ichigo and pulled himself up in a sitting position so they were face to face. He wanted to stroke his friend's face and pull him closer but then again he could feel the flashbacks of Grimmjow pouring into his head. Usually they hadn't bothered going all the way to bed but decided that the couch was just as fine place to have sex. Renji couldn't even count all the mornings he had woken up from the couch with Grimmjow passed out on top of him, snoring lightly. He had muzzled his teal hair to wake him up and pulled him into a deep kiss, the first thing in the morning. _I miss waking up like that. With Byakuya I could never stay over, and Urahara was always gone by the time I woke up. Grimmjow was always there in the morning, no matter what time he got home. _

Renji hemmed at Ichigo and ruffled his hair, then got up from the couch and rolled his shoulders back.

"Well we don't have that much time to get ready so I'll better go and change", he said and walked over to his duffel bag. Ichigo turned to look over the back of the couch when his friend opened the bag and pulled out some shirts and pants.

"How presentable do we have to look today?" he hollered back to Ichigo looking at the clothes at his hand, tossing some of them on the floor to make his pick. Ichigo clambered over the back of the couch and stumbled on the floor to walk over to the clothes. He took a look at them and then picked up a pair of black jeans, which he remembered to make Renji's ass look especially tasty, then a clean black shirt with a V- neck and rolled up sleeves. He gave them to Renji who cocked his brow but nodded in agreement. Ichigo also picked up a black scarf that matched the rest of his friend's chosen clothing.

"Do you have any bling-bling to go with that?" he asked with a small smirk on his lips. The redhead rolled his eyes and continued to rummage through his bag, picking out a chain with small dog tags hanging on it. He looked at it for a while then threw it to Ichigo, he caught it on flight.

"You can have that, I never really liked it."

"Oh so you think it will suit me", Ichigo smirked but obediently put the chain over his head where it gracefully landed on his neck, the dog tags hanging between his collar bones. Renji was already taking off his shirt and removing his scarf so Ichigo took it as his cue to go and change too. He walked out of the living room and proceeded into his own room at the back of the hallway, closing the door behind him.

After a while he walked back into the living room, wearing black jeans similar to Renji's and a white shirt with short sleeves, tying a leathery band around his wrist. He had also thrown on a black suit jacket which sleeves he had rolled up to his elbows. He looked up from his hand to Renji, who was just patting down his black bandana and smoothing his braided red hair with his back to Ichigo. _Yep, I remembered the right jeans, _he chuckled to himself as he finally managed to tie up the band and ran his fingers through his orange locks. His hand slipped across his skull down to his neck where it fondled the necklace Renji had gave to him. He looked down at the dog tags that hang on the chain, at the moment they were empty. _I should have something engraved to them. _

Renji finally managed to fix his hair into a state which pleased him and turned around to check out his friend's attire for the big evening. He felt his heart flutter a bit when he saw Ichigo standing at the doorway looking hot as hell. _You can't really go wrong with looks like that, but still...Gawd. I didn't realise I was such a cradle robber, _he chuckled mentally as he ogled at Ichigo. The teen was playing with his new necklace, staring down at the dog tags and turning them around in his fingers. _I should have engraved something in them and give them to him later on. _

"Looking good there Ichi", he grinned at him, catching his attention with his sly words. The teen blushed faintly and shook his head a little, his shoulders shaking with held back laughter. He then looked at the redhead with a wide smile on his usually scowling face and even such a hardened flirt like Renji felt his knees go a bit weak under him. _So damn delicate and yet so effective. He could have anyone he wanted with that smile on his face, _he mused to himself, _and yet he wants to be with me. Baka._

"We still have time before they get here, want to get started with the drinking?" he asked the younger man, slipping his thumbs in to the belt loops of his jeans. Ichigo nodded and walked into the kitchen, passing by Renji so close he could smell his cologne. _Smells like motor oil, leather and musk, _the teen thought inwardly, _quite unlike mine._ Renji could also smell the other man's cologne when he walked pass him. _ It smells like fruit, grass rain and the cool night air, _he rhymed to himself and imagined having a faint tinge of that smell on his own skin. _Control yourself, man, you can do this. _

In the kitchen Ichigo threw him a nice cold beer from the fridge and opened one for himself with the bottle opener. He offered it to Renji too but he shook his head, put the bottle in his mouth and cracked it open with his teeth. Ichigo cringed at the sight.

"You'll have no teeth left when the night is over if you keep doing that" he scolded him, taking a long swig of his beverage. The redhead only smirked back with his perfectly white, shiny teeth and drank of his own beer.

"Hasn't hurt me before, doubt it will later" he said after gulping down his drink. The younger man sneered and leaned his other hand on the counter behind him.

"How drunk are you planning to get tonight?" he asked from the redhead who was speedily finishing his first beer. _I have catching up to do if I want to keep up with him._

Renji gulped down the last drops of his beer and placed on the kitchen table wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He walked to the fridge to retrieve a new bottle, cracking it open with his teeth again and spitting the cork to the table. Ichigo rolled his eyes in disgust and swept the cork into the trash.

"You're really disgusting man, Pineapple." The tattooed man chuckled at the notion and looked at his friend while taking a gulp of his second brew.

"And you're a pansy, Berry." He leaned himself against the counter swinging the bottle in his hand. Ichigo tried hard not to stare at his shapely behind when he was protruding it like that right before him. _I wonder how he keeps in shape, probably all the physical labour works on him. I haven't had time to train lately, I need go for a run tomorrow, _he thought to himself taking another swig of his still almost half full bottle, _that is if I can even get up tomorrow. I have a feeling this will be a long night. _

Renji was shifting his weight from one leg to another and kept drinking his beer in silence. He suddenly had a feeling he needed to get drunk as soon as possible, dark clouds had started to form in his head and if he wanted to be sociable with his friends he needed to be a little tipsy. Besides, they were used to him being a goof and a flirt, and right now, at this state of mind he couldn't pull it off convincingly. He couldn't really put his finger on what had suddenly made him so sullen, the moment he had tasted alcohol in his mouth his mind was once again filled with images of the previous weeks when he had roamed the shady bars of the town. _I hope I won't bump into any of those guys who took me home, _he winced inwardly. _Well I probably wouldn't even recognise them so maybe it'll be alright anyway. _He shook his bottle, discovering empty and opening the fridge the get another one. Ichigo had also managed to finally finish his first brew so Renji took out two bottles, put both of them into his mouth and cracked them open. Ichigo raised his eyebrows to him disapprovingly.

"If you break your teeth, I'm not taking you to a hospital", he murmured while taking his beer from the grinning redhead. His friend just shrugged his shoulders, making his chest muscles move under his shirt in a tantalizing way. Ichigo tore his eyes to the kitchen window, he could already feel a slight buzz in his head from the beer. _I'm really gonna regret this tomorrow if I'm already getting tipsy. I can get really touchy- feely if I've had enough. And if Renji is around then...Damn. _

"How long 'till they get here?" the redhead asked between gulps. Ichigo looked at his wrist watch.

"We still have half an hour, more or less. With Orihime it can easily go over that", he answered taking a sip of the cold beer. Renji hemmed, straightened himself and turned around so he too was facing to the window. He looked at Ichigo, whose tanned skin seemed to glisten in the light of setting sun that shone from the window. His orange hair was muzzled in a care-free, bed-head type of way. Renji wanted to stretch his hand to ruffle those strands hair but had to almost flinch back when they suddenly flashed in teal colour before his eyes. _Am I now seeing things or is it just the beer? Or then maybe I really am going insane. _These thoughts didn't really comfort Renji, who turned his full attention to the brew in his hand and tried hard not to look at Ichigo.

The younger man was once again fiddling with his dog tags. _Should I put on a tie or something still? I'll ask Orihime, she knows better. Or maybe Uryuu, I guess he makes all Orihime's clothes nowadays. _He felt a slight smile on his face when the thought about his friend, who studied at the same university as him. Though Uryuu still seemed to detest him and even more than before now when Ichigo had started to use his first name, he was one of his oldest and closest friends. He didn't show it but their relationship was more of presence and telling the other one to "shut up, get up and get it done". He remembered the first time he and Orihime had had a fight and Uryuu had stormed into his apartment, tramping around the living room in total confusion. Finally Ichigo had slapped him across the face and told him to man up, Orihime didn't deserve to be treated like this. _It seemed to work, the next day they were cuddling like nothing ever happened. _Ichigo gave himself a mental pat in the back for his contributions for his friends' relationship.

_If I could only solve my own relationships that easily, _he contemplated as he glanced at the now quite timid Renji while taking a swig of his beer. Again he felt a smile creep up to his lips when he eyed the red haired man beside him. _He looks great in black. I wish I'd done something before Grimmjow got in between us, would've saved us both a lot of pain and trouble. If I'd done it, I could just pull him close and...Stop it stop it stop it! _Ichigo pressed his eyes close for a few seconds and then opened them with a light shook of his head. _Again with these stupid thoughts, and the beer isn't helping either. And I was horny to begin with, this is turning into a disaster. What's keeping those two, I need something to distract me, _Ichigo mused mentally and walked over to the window just in time to see an old rundown Beetle roll into the car park. The young man smiled seeing the flash of bright orange hair in the driver's seat. _I see Uryuu's finally letting Orihime take the wheel. _

"They're here", he hollered to Renji turning around to look at him. The redhead nodded placing his beer bottle on the counter and stretching his arms straight over his head, making his back and neck crack loudly. Ichigo winced at the sound.

"You ought to have a massage or something", he said legging back over to his friend and placing his hand Renji's shoulder, rubbing it gently. He could feel the tensed muscles under the surprisingly soft skin.

"Look at you, you're totally bundled up in there" he mumbled and again his medical student's education kicked in and he pushed Renji carefully to turn around. He pressed some nerve points in his upper back and shoulders, making him breathe in between his teeth and exhaling with a hissing sound.

"Geez Berry, don't bother being too gentle."

"Oh I'm sorry, I thought you didn't break that easily" Ichigo answered pressing Renji's back with his knuckles.

"Well I can't do this now, it'll have to wait." As soon as he had said that, there was a knock on the door. The younger man leaped to the door, leaving Renji rubbing his aching back.

"Hey you two", Ichigo greeted the pair on the door with an uncharacteristic smile on his face. Even Uryuu raised his brows to the sight but Orihime only gave him one her beaming trademark smiles.

"Hiya Ichigo- san!" she exclaimed gleefully, her arms wrapped around Uryuu's waist. She glanced at him, still smiling, making the black haired man blush and push his spectacles back on the bridge of his nose. Ichigo smirked at the sight.

"I see you two are still getting along." Uryuu gave him a cold sideways glance but had none of the effect it used to have, not now when he had Orihime clinging onto him and he had a small smile on his thin lips. He gently shook her off to enter Ichigo's apartment, scanning the flat with a quick look.

"I'm glad to see that you keep your own living space in better condition than our room at the dormitory" he noted walking into the living room. He turned back to face the door and saw Renji, who was leaning onto the kitchen's door frame. His tense pose seemingly relaxed a bit and he managed to give the redhead a one sided smile. Renji nodded in response, with a wider smile. Orihime was changing words with Ichigo at the door, accounting for her day at the cafe. The carrot top was smiling kindly to her, occasionally shaking his head to her stories, she still managed to make everyday chores sound like sci-fi adventures.

Uryuu had walked into the kitchen, looking through what his friends had bought for the night. He cocked a brow to the empty beer bottles and turned around to take a closer look at Renji. He seemed sober enough, but then again he had always been able to handle his liquor better than most. _But I guess it's understandable if he wants to get out off his head today, _he contemplated pushing his glasses back again. He picked up the bag containing chips and the sort, letting Renji take care of the rest.

"So Uryuu, how's everything with you?" the redhead asked while starting to empty the fridge. The other man glanced at the front door, where Orihime and Ichigo were still changing pleasantries, she flailing her hands in the air in an effort to re-enact some scene from her day and Ichigo chuckling at her demonstration. He still felt a slight twinge of jealousy seeing those two so close but had to pull himself together, he knew Orihime better than to suspect her of anything. _Besides, now that Renji is back in the picture I guess he has his hands full as it is. _

"I'm just fine, thank you", he finally answered, tearing his eyes away from his girlfriend and his old rival. He inattentively smoothed down his hair that was slicked back on his head, it had been Orihime's idea.

"_Do you like it?" _she had chimed as she gave his hair final touches with hair spray. He had resisted the whole idea but she had insisted, saying that this night was special and she wanted to dress up them both accordingly. He had looked at himself in the mirror and didn't really know what to think.

"_To be frank, I look like a douchebag", _he had answered poking at his hair. Orihime had flung her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss on his cheek, making him blush as always.

"_I think you look great"_ she had said, now pressing another, deeper kiss on his lips. He suddenly hadn't cared about how his hair looked. _At least the clothes are mine, _he contemplated, straightening the cuffs of his jacket and straightening his tie. Renji smirked at him.

"I see you are dressed for the occasion." Uryuu didn't bother answering him, just glared at him over his glasses. Renji chuckled at the unspoken threat and picked up the bag containing their drinks. He gestured towards the door with exaggerated courtesy.

"Shall we then proceed, m'lord?" Uryuu scoffed at him, exiting the kitchen with Renji following on his heel.

"Then I said: 'Well I didn't know he played the violin'", Orihime seemingly ended her anecdote, making Ichigo chortle with laughter. The two other men looked at them, then at each other, shrugging their shoulders. There was no way to tell with Orihime's stories, it could've been anything.

"Ready to go?" Uryuu asked his girlfriend, his voice softer than it ever was when he spoke with Renji or Ichigo. The girl flung her orange mane over her shoulder and beamed at them. Renji wasn't sure if the beer was finally taking effect or was it Orihime's ever joyous presence but his heart suddenly felt lighter, as if everything would be alright, eventually. And in the meantime he had his friends who would pick him up if need be.

"Ready!" Orihime hollered and pumped her fist in the air. Renji and Ichigo chuckled at her energy, Uryuu had his hands full with her.

"Let's get going then."


	11. Where There's Music And There's People

**Oh how I hate when my studies get the best of me! Not feeling really inspired when you spent all time panicking about school work, bleh. But now it's over (at least for a little while). So hopefully more frequent updates! And I also finished my oneshot of Kisuke and Renji, if there's some people wanting to read smut do check it out. Sorry for the lack of action, it seems that my style of writing is very slow, bit like _Alastalon salissa (_for those who don't know, it's a novel where it takes about 300 pages for a man to walk from one side of the room to the other side. Hope this fic doesn't quite go that far)_. _ Anyways, enjoy the new chapter and say what you think. Any feedback is welcome since I personally have no idea if this is any good plotwise (this is why one should do mindmaps or something like that before writing). Oh well, I guess I can rewrite it all if I suddenly start hating it all with burning passion.  
**

**Where There's Music And There's People**

Renji and Ichigo sat at the backseat of Uryuu's small car, or technically it was Orihime's. Uryuu had insisted she learnt to drive and even bought her her own car to practice with, but after seeing how Orihime's cheery nature somehow twisted her into a raving maniac the second she sat behind the wheel had prompted Uryuu to postpone her driving lessons. Even now he had to place his hand reassuringly on her shoulder every time they stopped at a traffic light or when someone crossed the road in front of them. More than few times Orihime's face had contorted into an angry scowl which resembled quite well Ichigo's normal expression but the second Uryuu lowered his hand to her shoulder, her face lit up and she flashed him a beaming smile. Renji and Ichigo found the situation extremely strange and scary and counted the miles to Rangiku's place.

Not a second too soon they finally arrived at the driveway of Rangiku's house. She lived in a two- story house which she had inherited from her rich grandparents, apparently. Renji had always suspected that Gin had bought it for her in order to quiet her suspicions of his real profession. _Slimy bastard, _he thought to himself while getting out of the car and trying to straighten his legs, they had been sitting with their knees in their mouths in the tiny car's backseat. Ichigo was also cringing and rubbing his knees, not the most comfortable of rides. Suddenly the front door of the house flew open and a flash of honey blond hair and creamy white skin ran towards them. Rangiku flung herself in Renji's arms, almost suffocating him between her impressive breasts.

"Renji, you goddamn bastard!" she cried while strangling him in her iron grip. Renji tried to catch his breath and pat the hysteric woman on the back, while Ichigo was already making plans on how to separate those two without causing any further damage. But luckily the busty woman soon let go of her friend whose face was already turning worryingly blue. She crossed her arms under her breasts, making them seem almost formidable. She was wearing a little black dress similar to the one Orihime was wearing and it hardly contained her large assets. The hem was so short Renji was almost sure that at any moment he could catch a glimpse of the woman's underwear. _Wouldn't be the first time._ But this wasn't the right time for such thoughts.

"Why didn't you call me?" Rangiku bellowed at him, eyes burning with inner fire. Renji didn't know many people who wouldn't be shaking in their boots when encountering Rangiku at her most foul mood. This was apparently one of those times. The redhead flailed his hands in a helpless gesture and tried to imitate Ichigo's puppy eyes, only managing to look like he was having a minor stroke. But apparently Rangiku didn't notice it and let out a deep sigh, letting her hands fall to her hips. She shook her head a little and then beamed a great big smile to her other friends, who had been trying to blend into the background during the confrontation. Orihime chirped a greeting to her friend and ran to her arms, the women's huge assets crushing together between them. Uryuu had to smack Ichigo on the back of the head to stop him from gawking at his girlfriend. The women burst into a lively chatter and walked back to the house hands joined together, giggling and screaming loudly as they went. The men were left behind to take care of the food and drinks, and Uryuu divided the bags between them.

Inside the house they were greeted by the solemn giant that was Chad. He smiled at them underneath his brown mob of hair and took their bearings without a word. When he reached towards Renji, he gave him a long look, then nodded, smiling more widely and even managing to pat him on the back with his free hand. From Chad, that was quite a gesture. He murmured something whilst leaning closer down to Renji and the redhead smiled back, barking out a small laugh and smacking the tall man on the arm. That was a mistake, since Chad had only grown more muscular and bulkier during the years and his biceps were hard as steel. Renji shook his hand to ease the twinkling pain, wondering what Chad actually did for a workout, every time he saw him he seemed to get bigger and bulkier.

"Oi Chad, what's up?" Ichigo greeted the giant of a man and grinned at him. Chad shrugged his shoulders, still holding all of their bags in his huge hands.

"Nothing much", he rumbled with his deep voice.

"Any luck with the ladies lately?" Renji continued, smirking suggestively. Quite a bunch of women made passes on Chad whenever they were out and about, but he was so damn shy that he got even quieter than normally if any woman came to try and talk to him. Usually Renji or Ichigo had to save the situation by distracting the women towards Shuuhei or Kira, or if they were feeling brave enough, Byakuay. The most obnoxious women were always sent to the business man, he was pretty known for his vicious tongue against needy, flirty women. It was one of their most favourite pastimes to watch those fake, clammy women get turned down by Byakuya, the most sensible ones took the hint from just his icy stare when they tried to snuggle themselves into his lap. _I hope we could get a real show going on tonight, _Renji chuckled to himself while moving to the living room where he could hear the rest of their group of friends chatting. Ichigo followed suit, while Uryuu made his way to the kitchen to help Chad.

Before entering the living room, Renji stopped on his tracks and seemed to hesitate. Ichigo was soon by his side and wrapped his arm around the redhead's shoulders. They changed gazes and the younger man smiled reassuringly to his friend, rubbing his shoulder gently. Renji let out a small sigh, then braced himself and stepped into the living room, with Ichigo still hanging on his shoulder.

There were a bunch of familiar faces in the room. Next to the door on the couch were Shuuhei and Kira, with an opened bottle of sake in front of them on the table. They were being loud and jolly so they most likely had already had a few. Next to them was Ikkaku and sitting on his lap Yumichika, who was flinging back his silky black hair. They were wearing similar outfits as Ichigo and Renji, black shirts and black jeans, only Ikkaku was wearing a wifebeater that showed off his muscles and Yumichika had opted for the short sleeved dress shirt. The bald man had wrapped his arms devotionally around his lover, who was gently caressing his head. Opposite to the door were Rukia and her brother Byakuya. Rukia was laughing along with Shuuhei and Kira but her brother was sitting stoically, his arms crossed on his chest, his mobile phone placed carefully on the table in front of him where he could see it. When Renji and Ichigo entered the room, he instantly locked eyes with Renji, his face showing no emotion. But when his gaze turned to Ichigo, who still had his arm around the redhead's shoulder, his eyes slanted just noticeably and one could almost feel the iciness from his eyes. To Ichigo it was more amusing than anything else. _Yep, still doesn't like me._

"Glad to see you decided to grace us with your presence, Abarai", Byakuya said, his voice showing no signs of previous affection or current jealousy. Everyone in the room suddenly stopped talking and their heads almost spun when they turned to look at the doorway. Rukia was the first to jump up in the air, grinning like a madman.

"Renji!" she shouted and dashed to hug her friend. Ichigo finally let go of him, letting the petite woman leap on him, flailing her hands around his neck. Renji returned the hug and laughed at her enthusiasm, patting the little woman on the back.

"Yeah it's me Rukia, don't get so worked up about it", he smirked at the woman, lowering her back to the floor. She was over two feet shorter than Renji so she had to crane her neck up to look at him in the eye. Her vivid, violet eyes were glinting with joy, but also concern for her friend's wellbeing. Renji send her a silent message by looking her in the eye and nodding his head back a little. Rukia's eyes shifted quickly to Ichigo and she raised her eyebrows to Renji, who shook his head a little and mouthed the word "maybe". Rukia seemed to be satisfied with this and made way to Shuuhei, who had risen up from the couch and grabbed Renji's hand in his, pulling him closer to himself and patting him on the back with his free hand.

"Look at you, you beautiful bastard", he laughed, then pulled back, his expression now back to its normal solemn look. It was bit hindered by the blushing of his cheeks, probably from the sake.

"When can I expect you back at the garage, boss", he grinned. The redhead smirked back, patting Shuuhei's arm.

"Soon enough, if I ever make it through this night." Next in line were Kira, then Ikkaku and Yumichika who were equally glad to finally see their friend, exchanging hugs and well wishes. Yumichika immediately grabbed hold of Renji's hair, sliding it through his fingers and sighing in relief.

"Oh thank God, its okay!" he exclaimed happily, earning a storm of laughter from the group. That moment Rangiku and Orihime stepped into the room, carrying snacks on drinks on large trays. Everyone cheered to the arrival of serving and sat back down to grab some snacks. Rukia ushered Renji to sit between her and Byakuya on the couch while Ichigo lopped next to Shuuhei. Uryuu and Chad came into the room with the rest of the drinks, placing them next to the trays.

Rukia snatched a can of beer to herself and a handful of chips, then turning to Renji who had already opened another beer.

"So Renji", she begun, stuffing her face with chips in between words,"what have you been up to lately?" Renji took a long swig out of his beer, the buzz he had felt earlier had cleared during the mindwrecking car ride. He shrugged his shoulders again.

"Nothing much, just killing time basically" he answered with a grin. He heard Byakuya scoff beside him and turned to face the man.

"Got something to say to me, Kuchiki?" He knew the man really hated when he used his last name, he was one of the few people he had actually given the permission of using his first name. Their mutual history was no secret in their group of friends but somehow to Byakuya it was insulting if he didn't use his privilege of calling him by the first name. _Go figure, _Renji mused inwardly while grinning and drinking.

The business man glanced at him sideways and took a sip of the wine glass Orihime had just handed to him, smiling kindly and winking to Renji before returning to sit next to Uryuu on the couch next to the door. The stoic man sighed and placed the glass on the table next to his mobile phone.

"I think it is very irresponsible to keep your closest friend uninformed of your whereabouts for such a long time", he said flatly, now turning his eyes directly to Renji and the redhead knew that Byakuya was fully aware of what he had been doing for the last weeks. _He probably has eyes all over town, even in the most run-down places. I guess it would make sense that especially in those places, he's made some impressive enemies in just few years. _Somehow it made him feel safe knowing that Byakuya had been watching him, though most likely he wouldn't have intervened in his actions in any way even he had been in trouble. _But still, it's a nice thought. _

"It's great to know that you still care", the redhead smiled at him and nudged the man in the ribs with his elbow. The man rolled his eyes to this and prompted Renji to wrap his arm around his shoulders, pulling him against his body for just a few seconds, letting him feel the warmth of his body on his. He could feel the man tensing up from the sudden contact and he looked at Renji with a puzzled expression. Renji sniggered at him, letting him go and leaning back on the couch, enjoying the rest of his beer. Byakuya seemed somewhat shaken, he had never been good with sudden public displays of affection. Renji had more than once made him jump just by grabbing his ass in public or giving a gently peck on the cheek, he had always got a long lecture about "what he had at stake here" but Renji had silenced him with kisses. _Ah, memories. _

Ichigo took a look around the room, as if looking for someone in particular. He turned to Rangiku, who was chatting away with Kira.

"Rangiku-san, where's Gin?" The blonde woman raised her eyes from Kira and looked at Ichigo with a pained look in her eyes. But she bounced back in a split second, brushing back the mass of hair off her face and smiling to the young man.

"He's on a business trip somewhere, I don't even remember where this time", she chimed jokingly, her mirth bit too exaggerated to be real, "he's coming back next week so we have the whole house the ourselves." Ichigo noticed that Renji was also looking at Rangiku and they switched glances, the other man shaking his head almost unnoticeably. _He apparently knows something I don't, _Ichigo contemplated but was distracted by the cup of sake that Shuuhei pushed into his hand.

"Bottoms up, Ichigo!" he exclaimed, toasting with the young man and drowning his own drink down at one go. Ichigo tasted the liquid and almost gagged, that was some strong stuff. He could hear Ikkaku and Yumichika laughing from the side, also drowning their own cups like they were drinking water.

"What's the matter Ichigo, can't hold your liquor?" the bald man asked, already pouring himself another filling.

"Come on Ichigo, it's good stuff!" Rangiku chirped and raised her glass to him as encouragement. The young man glanced again at Renji, who was talking to Rukia about something. Byakuya stared back at Ichigo and he was sure that there was a glint of amusement in his eyes. He suddenly felt patronized by almost everyone and drew in a long breath before gulping down the sake. He got a group of cheers from his friends but the alcohol still burned in his stomach and throat. He had to breathe steadily for few minutes to stop the spinning in his head and almost groaned when he saw Rangiku pouring him another one.

"The first one is the worst, we got to get you going now!" she giggled and poured herself another one too. _I wonder how many she's had already, _Ichigo thought while peering into his now filled glass. A sudden sense of manliness and adventure filled him and he gulped the sake down his throat, and Rangiku had been right. It didn't feel quite as bad as the first one.

Ichigo was now feeling a lovely buzz forming up in his head, feeling quite familiar from their nights on the town. _It's been quite awhile since we've been like this, the whole group. _He leaned back on the couch, closing his eyes to enjoy the warm feeling coursing through his veins and letting the alcohol settle in, after getting started one had to keep sure not to overdo it instantly, otherwise the night would be cut quite short. He lulled his head on the back of the couch, letting a small smile creep unto his face. His usual scowl gone, he didn't look as fearsome as he usually did. Orihime glanced at her friend while circling the room, pouring everyone fresh drinks. _He looks so cute when he's like that, _she giggled mentally while filling Ichigo's cup with some milder sake this time. She glanced at Renji over her shoulder and noticed that he was also staring at Ichigo, despite Rukia chattering next to him. _He has that look in his eyes again, _she mused and had to suppress a giggle, thinking about what Ichigo had told her earlier that day. _They'd look so perfect together._

Her thoughts were stopped from going too far and dirty by Uryuu's cool hand on her arm. She tore her gaze from the tattooed man to her boyfriend, who was looking slightly amused.

"You're spilling the sake, Inoue-san." Orihime looked at the bottle of sake in her hand and noticed that she had almost filled Ichigo's cup up to the rim and quickly snapped it upwards again. Ichigo raised his head up from the couch and looked at his cup, raising his eyebrows.

"I'm sorry Ichigo, try to drink it slowly!" the girl advised with Uryuu shaking his head and taking the bottle of her.

"Maybe you too should slow it down a bit, Inoue-san", he said, looking at his girlfriend with softness in his eyes. Orihime pouted her lips to him.

"I've only had few of those lovely strawberry things that Rangiku made me, that's all!" she said. Uryuu cocked his brow to her and glanced at the said woman who was gulping down sake at a worrying pace.

"I would not trust Rangiku-san's drinks if I were you", he contemplated, placing the bottle on the table in front of Ichigo and steering his girlfriend back to the couch next to Rukia.

"Where's Tatsuki by the way?" Ichigo asked, trying to come up with a way to drink the sake without spilling it on his jeans. Uryuu pushed back his glasses on his nose and gave Orihime a glass of water and a handful of snacks to keep her busy for some time.

"She's been at a training camp the whole week, she'll be back by Tuesday. But she sends her regards to Renji", he said, looking at the redhead who was toasting with Kira and Shuuhei, all of the men looking already quite flustered.

"We should probably head out to Ukitake's before they're too drunk to be allowed in any bar", he pointed out and eyed his other friends, who weren't so worse for wear yet. Ichigo was slurping his sake carefully minding not to spill any on himself or on the couch. Suddenly Byakuya rose up from his seat, having finished his glass of wine and grabbed his phone from the table, strutting out of the living room. On the way out he tapped Ichigo on the shoulder almost unnoticeably, signaling that the young man ought to follow him. Ichigo frowned to the man but he was already out on his way of the room. The young man carefully lowered his glass on the table, excused himself and ran after the business man.

He almost lost the trail of the man when he went after him, but a cough signaling his whereabouts lead him to a study that was at the end of the hallway outside the living room. Byakuya was standing in the room, facing the large window and rolling his mobile phone in his hand.

"Close the door, will you" he stated when Ichigo entered the room. His voice was full of authority that was taken for granted, the tone of someone who knows his place and worth in society and expects all others to know it as well. Ichigo had never liked the stuck up man but decided not to cause a scene and obediently shut the door behind him. Byakuya still didn't turn to look at him, but instead reached into his pocket and drew out a pack of cigars, most likely the most expensive kind money could buy. He lit one with a match, the room filling with the smell of smoke and soon he puffed out a thick cloud of it. Finally he turned around and eyed Ichigo carefully. The young man felt as though he was being evaluated like cattle for sale. The man's icy gaze send shivers down his spine and he couldn't help but fidget on his place.

"What's your business with Abarai" he said, not asking but demanding. Ichigo cocked his brow to him quizzically.

"What's that got anything to do with you?" he snorted. The business man smoked his cigar before saying anything, keeping his eyes on Ichigo the whole time. The smoke was now floating into Ichigo's nostrils and he had to choke back the urge to cough. When the other man didn't say anything, he felt the need to explain.

"I've been a friend with Renji for years now, why do you suddenly care so much about us?" Before Ichigo realized what he had said it was too late and he had to bite back his tongue. Byakuya raised his other eyebrow.

"So there is 'us', I see." He tapped his cigar over an ashtray beside him and watched the trailing smoke travel up towards to ceiling. Ichigo opened his mouth to say something and then closed it again, not wanting to plant any further ideas into the business man's head.

"Let me just say that I have a personal interest in Abarai's well being", he finally said, turning his gaze back to Ichigo, nailing him on the spot with his eyes, "and I hope I don't have to interfere in this relationship of yours."

"Well why should you, what Renji does is none of your business", Ichigo snapped at him, trying to avert his eyes. Byakuya hemmed in amusement and stumped his cigar.

"You are right, Ichigo Kurosaki, it isn't any of my business to meddle with Abarai's relationships. But it seems that I should, judging by his past record. So I'll tell you this one time", Byakuya took a few quick steps and was suddenly standing right in front of Ichigo, their chests almost bumping into each other.

"If you hurt him, you'll pay." Byakuya's voice had suddenly dropped into a low murmur, the softness of his voice treacherously kind. Ichigo felt an involuntary shiver curse through his body, the man was not kidding. Without a further word, the man stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him, leaving Ichigo to contemplate his words.

Stepping out of the room, Byakuya almost bumped into Renji, who was standing in the hallway with his arms crossed on his chest, looking quite cross.

"What did you tell him?" he asked, glaring at the man under his brows. Byakuya straightened his tie and cuffs, looking quite nonchalant as if he had no idea what Renji was talking about.

"A simple word of advice to the young man, that's all", he answered, not looking at his former lover in the eye. Renji scoffed, stepping closer to the other man like he had done to Ichigo just now and placed his hands on the man's shoulders.

"Byakuya", he started, finally grabbing the man's attention, "you don't need to look after me. I'm a big boy now" he smiled. Byakuya let out a small sigh, looking rather upset.

"I just don't trust your taste in men", he said, making Renji raise his eyebrows to him, grinning.

"You do know that makes your self-esteem sound quite bad?" The man scoffed at the redhead.

"Well actually I'm a prime example of bad taste, I couldn't even touch you in public." The memory of their relationship and the pain of it silenced them both for a minute. Finally Byakuya was able to continue.

"Then it was that obnoxious gigolo who only wanted you for sex, then this ruffian", he sneered as if even thinking about the man in question was beneath him, "I probably need not to say more." Now it was Renji's turn to scoff and to Byakuya's surprise he pulled him into a tight bear hug.

Ichigo had been watching the two men from the door crack and when Renji pulled Byakuya closer he silently closed the door, turned around and pressed his back against it. _How could I not see it? _he thought when he slowly slid down to the floor and stretched his long legs in front of him. He sat there like a little child who just realized there was no Santa Claus. He bent his other leg and leaned his elbow to the knee, placing his chin on his palm. The warm buzz of the sake made everything feel a bit fuzzy and he tried to clear his thoughts by rubbing his temples. The more he thought about, the more sense it actually made. _God I've been so blind! That must've been years ago. Why hasn't Renji told me? It's not like I'd be jealous. But this explains a lot though, how they act towards each other and the whole thing with Byakuya just now…_Ichigo's thoughts were disrupted by a faint knock on the door.

"Ichigo, you still there?" Renji's low voice called him outside the door. Ichigo quickly rose to his feet and opened the door. Renji was standing there, leaning to the door frame with a gentle smile on his lips.

"I heard what Byakuya said to you. You alright?" he asked, reaching his hand out to ruffle the younger man's orange locks. Ichigo hemmed in response and didn't slap the man's hand away as he usually would have.

"Ichigo, listen…" the redhead started but Ichigo interrupted him.

"Renji, I just want you to know that I would never hurt you. That I can promise." Renji looked taken aback by the youngster's words and his hand slid down to his neck. _Goddamn sake, making me do things I really shouldn't, _he thought to himself while gently caressing Ichigo's neck with his thumb. _I promised this to him and to myself, it's too much too soon. But he's so beautiful…_The light from the room created a faint halo around Ichigo's orange hair…But again, for just a split second, all Renji could see was a flash of electric blue and this time he could almost swear that even Ichigo's chocolate brown eyes had turned into icy blue. He quickly withdrew his hand and shoved it in his pocket. _Too much too soon._

Ichigo made a gesture to move out of the room and Renji quickly moved out of the way. They started to walk back to the living room side by side.

"So why haven't you told me you were with Byakuya?" The redhead stopped in his tracks and just stared at Ichigo.

"How did you…" Then it hit him. _He must've seen us in the hallway. _Ichigo smirked at him.

"It's not that I mind or anything, it actually explains quite a lot. But I just wondered why." Renji sighed and fumbled his braided hair.

"It was years before I even met you, I didn't think it was that important. Plus you seem to hate him so…" the redhead shrugged his shoulders, he really didn't have any particular reason for it.

"I just can't picture you too together", the younger man said when they continued walking, "you just like polar opposites" he waved his hands in front of him as if expressing his confusion. Renji scoffed and threw his head back.

"Like I said, it was a long time ago. But don't mention it to him, his whole family doesn't know about it and that's how it should stay. They can't have the heir of the family running around buggering people", he explained with a smirk. Nowadays he could even laugh about the whole thing, even though at the time he had thought he'd never be able to even get up from bed. _When I can laugh at Grimmjow, then perhaps I'm ready to move on._

Before they could make it back to the living room and join their friends, Ikkaku and Yumichika stumbled out to the hallway, already laughing drunkenly and groping each other with the accuracy of drunkards in a happy buzz. Sensing the presence of others they tore their eyes off each other and smiled lazily to the other men. Yumichika instinctively checked of his hair was still in place and blushed like a school girl realizing what he just did. Renji cocked his brows to Ichigo, who was shaking his head in slight disbelief, despite being such "experienced" drinkers, those two were always in a state. And despite it, they could go on for longer than anyone else, others waiting the whole night when they would finally crash to the floor. But till this day it had never happened. Renji and Ichigo had sometimes tried to keep up with them but failed miserably, ending up too drunk to even walk to the bar without help from Chad. In the end the giant man had just flailed them over his shoulders and carried them home to sleep their heads clear. _Not one of my proudest moments, _Ichigo cringed and switched his weight from one leg to another, tilting his head to the side with a slight grin on his face while looking at his two friends who had burst into a trail of giggles.

"What's up Ikkaku?" he asked. The bald man composed himself and grinned widely back at the young man. He waved a half empty bottle of sake in his hand.

"Great Ichigo, just bloody great!" he answered back and burst into a loud laugh. Beside him Yumichika straightened himself up and flicked his hair back, then smoothed down his black shirt and stumbled towards the men. He almost tripped into Renji's arms and started giggling once more, muttering something totally incomprehensible in drunkenese. The redhead lightly patted the man's head and helped him to his feet.

"Already going so strong, eh Yumi?" he asked the man whose eyes were already misted by his drunken haze. _Geez, that's how I have spent the last weeks? _Renji suddenly felt the urge to go teetotal for good. _Maybe it would help those fricking visions I keep on seeing, _he thought and instinctively glanced at Ichigo who was now sharing the sake bottle with Ikkaku, the bald man pressing his head against Ichigo's and muttering some deep, dark secrets with a concentrated look on his face. The young man nodded in agreement, chuckling lowly and taking long swigs of sake. _Maybe I'll just look after him tonight and try to keep sober enough to walk him home, I'm already been way too close of breaking my promise tonight. _Renji gently pushed Yumichika back to Ikkaku and patted Ichigo on the shoulder, pointing towards the living room. The carrot top nodded and waved his hand, urging Renji go ahead of them. The redhead shrugged his shoulders and walked back to his friends, a wide smile spreading on his face and he lopped down on the couch next to Shuuhei.

"So Shuu-chan, tell me what's happening at my garage?"


	12. Turn On The Charm For Me Tonight

**Been listening to the new Panic! At The Disco album….I have a long list of future chapter names inspired by the songs, feels great to have some inspiration. Reading blogs around the internet does help a lot, I find that the greatest sources of inspiration are other people and their creativity (art, fics, comics, music, whatever). Maybe as a Finn I should be inspired by nature and stuff like that :D But at the moment the nature is a bitch so…What do you do. **

**Hmm, it's only day one and I've written about 10 chapters about it. I have a feeling that this fic will bug me for the rest of my life. **

**Now the rambling ends and the chapter begins, voila!**

**Turn On The Charm For Me Tonight**

After everyone had been chatting and getting reasonably drunk, except for Chad to whom no amount of alcohol seemed to affect and Renji, who had decided to look after the young Ichigo that night. The youngster had started to keep up with Ikkaku and Yumichika and his steps were already swaying a little as they walked towards Ukitake's. Renji walked beside him, his strong hand wrapped around Ichigo's shoulders to keep him in course. Occasionally he bumped into Renji when he took a step to the wrong direction and started to chuckle from the sudden contact. Renji could feel the warmth of the young man's body and smell the sake in his breath, both of which felt so intoxicating he had to occupy his mind with other things than the man hanging on him. He fumbled his pockets for his cigarettes, placed one between his lips and took out his lighter from his backpocket. Before he could light the cigarette, Ichigo's slender fingers snapped it from his lips and put it between his own. The young man smiled at him sheepishly as he looked at him with a slight frown.

"I wanna try it" the young man said and gestured Renji to light to cigarette. For a minute the redhead hesitated, but then guessed that maybe just one wouldn't hurt. _Besides, I don't think he'll remember it tomorrow anyway, or then he'll have my head on a plate for letting him smoke. Either way, _he mused inwardly while lighting the cigarette, watching how the flame played with the shadows of the young man's features, _he can say that he at least tried to live a little, once. _He then retrieved another cigarette from the packet and lighted it for himself. Ichigo was holding on his cigarette with his thumb and index finger, trying to inhale the smoke with a dedicated expression on his face. First try ended up with him coughing awkwardly, at the same time trying to adjust to the smoke in his lungs and trying to get rid of it. Renji smoked his own cigarette with the ease of a man who had been smoking on and off for the last ten years or so, growing up in the streets taught one things they shouldn't perhaps never learn.

"Urgh, how can you smoke these things?" Ichigo hacked and tried to catch his breath. Renji hemmed and blew out few smoke rings into the cool night air. Behind them he could hear Byakuya talking to his phone in a low voice, with Rukia beside him taking a few dancing steps and humming some popular pop tune to herself. Renji could hear Ikkaku, Yumi, Shuuhei and Kira bantering loudly, with Rangiku's laughter sounding above their voices from time to time. Rangiku didn't really have any girlfriends besides Rukia and Orihime so she had accustomed being surrounded by men and it showed in her behavior. She was just like one of the guys most of the time, loud and borderline rude in her comments, but guess one has to be in order to be heard in a group of young men. When she had get to know Orihime, she had toned her boyish behavior little down and Renji guessed that she was more than pleased to have someone who she could go shopping with, do make-ups and that sort of stuff girls generally do. She regarded Orihime bit like a little sister she never had. Same thing with Rukia, she had grown quite isolated from other children and Orihime was her first real girlfriend. _Guess it's good to have some balance in this group too, _Renji thought to himself while puffing out a cloud of smoke, Ichigo still trying to get the hang of it.

"Geez Renji, this tastes so bad!" the young man hollered waving the cigarette in his hand. The redhead sighed and stumped his own cigarette with his foot. He then snatched Ichigo's half-smoked cigarette from him and put it between his on lips.

"Don't waste it, baka. These things aren't free you know", he told the young man. Ichigo sighed and laid his head on Renji's shoulder, closing his eyes.

"I thought maybe I'd look cool like you if I'd smoke", he mumbled. Renji huffed and ruffled Ichigo's orange locks.

"It would take a lot more than smoking to make you look cool, boke", he taunted his friend with a grin. The youngster scoffed and waved his hand as if swatting off Renji's remark.

"At least I'm not a tattooed baboon like some people" he snorted back, giggling at the imaginativeness of his backtalk. The redhead cocked his other tattooed eyebrow and smacked the young man on the back of the head.

"I thought you liked my tattoos", he said in a pained tone, with a fake hurt look on his face. Ichigo reached his hand to pat his friend on the cheek and then let his hand drop to his neck, tracing the line of tattoo that could be felt slightly on the man's skin. The touch of the young man's slender fingers made Renji shiver and he tried to exhale slowly to calm his ever anxious mind that was still a bit hazy from the alcohol he had drained earlier that evening. Ichigo's hand was now caressing the side of his neck more firmly, reaching to his hair line and fondling his ear lobe. He snuggled his head better against Renji's shoulder, making it even more awkward for the redhead to keep his head in check.

"I do, I do", he murmured and sighed. He slid his fingers along Renji's jawline, slightly brushing over the man's lips with his thumb. Renji was already holding his breath, trying to think about something less exciting than having Ichigo snuggling against him.

"You smell good", the young man whispered, inhaling the other man's scent. _Oh for God's sake, that's enough, _Renji sighed inwardly and snapped Ichigo's hand off his neck, pushing the young man's head off his shoulder. The young man looked at him with a confused expression and it made Renji wince. The awkward moment was luckily broke off by Byakuya, who tapped them both on the shoulder and pointed towards the building they were next to.

"We're here, finally I might add." The rest of their group came right behind them, ever so loud and apparently even more drunk than when they left. Rangiku was the first to storm into the bar, followed by the four men behind her. Uryuu and Orihime followed suit, their arms wrapped around each other lovingly, Orihime resting her head on her boyfriend's shoulder. Rukia skipped after them, leaving Byakuya outside to tap his phone. Chad walked past Renji and Ichigo, throwing them a questioning glance noticing the tension between them. Renji waved his hand to him, miming the words "it's okay" to him. The man nodded silently and left them on the street. Ichigo was shifting his feet awkwardly, staring at the street cobbles with sudden interest. The sound of Byakuya's phone peeping felt much louder than it actually was and Renji glanced at him irritatingly. The business man seemed totally unaware of the awkwardness of the situation so Renji finally gave up and legged into the bar, leaving Ichigo stand on outside alone. The young man scratched the back of his head puzzled, looking at Byakuya for clarification. The man was still tapping his phone, not paying any attention to the world around him.

"You'd better go inside, it's getting cold here", he stated, keeping his eyes still on the phone, raising it to his ear. Ichigo raised his brow to the man, but he didn't continue. The young man shrugged his shoulders and walked into the building, glancing at Byakuya over his shoulder. The business man had started talking on his phone with a low voice so Ichigo couldn't make out what he was saying. _Probably something really important business stuff, 'buy,sell,buy,buy,sell' and so on, _Ichigo thought to himself while closing the bar door behind him. _I guess he can take care of himself. _

Inside the bar the lighting was dim and there was soft music playing on the background. Ichigo could have sworn the song was the same that Urahara had been playing earlier that day. All others had reserved a lodge in the farthest corner, Chad and Renji were standing at the counter and chatting with the owner of the bar. He was a tall, pale man with long white hair and a kind face. He was pouring them drinks with accustomed precision and ease, laughing softly at Renji's banter. Behind the counter was a doorway covered with a heavy velvet cloth that lead to the backroom and the cellars where the drinks were stored. When Ichigo walked towards the counter, the cloth was pulled aside and a man with scruffy beard and long, curly hair stepped behind the counter. He placed his hand gently on the bartender's shoulder and pecked him on the cheek. The pale man smiled widely at this and mumbled a few kind words to his partner. The scruffy man patted Jyuushiro on the shoulder and picked up a glass, starting to fill it up with beer. He said something to Renji, who grinned back at him and shook his head a little.

"Ah, Kurosaki-san! Nice to see you", the pale man greeted Ichigo when he reached the counter, settling himself on a barstool next to Renji. The young man looked at the redhead cautiously, he was still bit taken aback by his reaction outside. _I guess I was a bit touchy feely but he's just so…Argh, what will do with myself? _

"What would you like, Kurosaki- san?" Jyuushiro asked him, placing a glass full of green liquid in front of Chad, who took it along with the pint of beer and walked to their table. Renji had nothing to drink, Ichigo had noticed that he had stopped drinking after he had had his chat with Byakuya. He, on the other hand, was beginning to feel the warmth and buzz of the alcohol starting to really kick in. _If I want to be smart, I would stop now. But then again, _he pondered, weighing his options. Right now he felt like having a drink but he knew that after that he would probably by over the line of sense and caution, which would lead to more drinking and almost certainly a massive hangover.

"Renji" he asked, gaining his friend's attention, "will you look after me tonight?" The older man looked like he was going to say no at first, but then his expression softened a bit and he nodded.

"Sure thing, Ichi." Ichigo smiled widely and looked at the drinks list behind the counter.

"I'll have….a gin and tonic, please, Jyuushiro- san" he ordered with a smile. The bartender smiled back and, picked up a clean glass and started to mix the drink. The other man swiveled past his partner towards Ichigo and leaned against the counter, whirling a glass of whisky in his hand. He smiled lazily at the young man, his eyes twinkling as if he knew something no one else did.

"How are your studies going, Kurosaki-san?" he asked with his ever carefree tone, taking a sip of his whisky. Ichigo hemmed and leaned his chin on his hands.

"Just fine, Shunsui-san", the young man answered while Jyuushiro placed his drink in front of him, flashing him a quick smile and wiping his hands on the apron that hang on his hips.

"Don't interrogate the boy, Shunsui" he noted to the other man gently, glancing at him under his brows with a small smile playing on his lips. Shunsui wrapped his arm around Jyuushiro's waist and pulled him close.

"Awww, don't be like that Jyuu- kun" he cooed, snuggling his nose against the other man's cheek. The pale man laughed and pushed his lover away, but let his hand linger on his chest, slightly curling his fingers against his shirt that revealed a hunk of hairy chest. Normally Ichigo would've blushed witnessing the tender, private moment of intimacy between the two men but now, in his increasingly drunken state, he only felt a bit jealous and instinctively glanced at Renji who was sitting in silence next to him, seemingly deep in thought. In his mind hazed by alcohol, it felt advancinly unfair that he couldn't be with Renji. _Just my luck, when I finally know what I want I can't have it. How can I be sure that when Renji is over Grimmjow, he still wants to be with me? If he's been able to ignore his crush on me for so long, why not just forget about it once and for all?_ Ichigo suddenly felt a wave of misery wash over him, probably generated by the combined effect of the gin&tonic and the harsh reaction of Renji outside the bar.

The young man sighed looking into his glass and emptying it with a single swig, earning a frown from Renji but he didn't see it. He was too busy trying to ease the burning in his throat.

"Oi, take it easy Ichi", the redhead said, sidling himself closer to Ichigo and taking the glass off his hand. The youngster shook his head to lessen the burning effect of the alcohol and the watering of his eyes, trying hard not to cough. Renji rubbed Ichigo's back, drawing large circles with his hand. _Stupid Berry, he's never been that good with holding his liquor. I'm surprised he's not already dropping off his chair. _

"Oi Abarai-san, how are you doing nowadays?" Shunsui asked gleefully, pouring himself another glass of whisky. Jyuushiro had gone off to entertain the rest his guests and filling their cups, obviously.

"I'm just fine, Shunsui", the redhead answered, still keeping his eyes on Ichigo who was now swaying on his seat. Shunsui eyed the two men silently and hemmed to himself, taking a sip of the whisky in his hand.

"So I see. And what about this young man here?" he pried, tilting his head to the side and winking to Renji who still had his hand on Ichigo. The redhead grunted at the older man, removing his hand and placing it on the counter, starting to tap his fingers against the wood. He didn't like the look Shunsui was giving him.

"I'm just fine", Ichigo announced, his eyes half closed and an oafish smile on his face. He leaned his elbows to the counter, humming an unknown tune. Shunsui chuckled and straightened himself, his attention now drawn to the corner of the bar where a roar of laughter sounded from the group. Jyuushiro was also laughing softly, his shoulders bouncing up and down. The bearded man smiled amorously watching his lover so happy. _It's been awhile since that happened, _he mused inwardly while fiddling the glass in his hand, _he's always so much better when there are people around him. _

His thoughts were cut short when Jyuushiro's laughter turned into a hacking cough. The pale man slapped his one hand on his mouth while leaning the other against the table where the group was sitting. Orihime and Uryuu were quick to stand up and try to help but Shunsui beat them to it. He had leaped over the counter and ran to his lover's side, wrapping his arms protectively around him, mumbling softly to his ear. He looked like he too was in pain, trying to console Jyuushiro whose whole body was shaking in convulsions. Then the attack stopped as rapidly as it had started and the pale man flashed his friends an embarrassed smile, trying to hide his bloodstained hand under his apron. Shunsui brushed strands of white hair off Jyuushiro's flushed face, pressing a soft kiss on his cheek.

"You guys will be alright if I take Jyuu- kun to get some rest?" he asked the group, who were all quick to nod and look worried, their drunken heads momentarily clarified by the scare. Before Shunsui could steer his lover to the backrooms to lie down, a strong hand stopped him and turning around Shunsui saw Byakuya Kuchiki standing behind him.

"I'll take care of Ukitake- san, you can't leave this lot alone in the bar without supervision", he said flatly, gently removing Shunsui's hands off Jyuushiro and to everyone's surprise, he didn't even protest, just sighed and nodded. Instead, Jyuushiro waved his hands in annoyance of the fuss around him.

"I'm quite fine, Kuchiki- san ", he said slightly annoyed, glaring at Shunsui who was petting his hair. He slapped his lover's hands off him and shook himself free. Shunsui let him go, his hands dropping to his sides and a sad expression shadowed his face.

"I'm not made of glass you know, so just stop it", he snapped and turned on his heel to walk back to the counter and wash his hands. Shunsui changed glances with Byakuya, miming a silent "sorry" to him and following Jyuushiro.

The white haired man stomped behind the counter and started to scrub his hand almost aggressively. Shunsui came behind him and put his hand on the man's shoulder.

"Jyuu- kun..." he whispered softly but his lover cut him short.

"I'm not some sick baby, Kyoraku." Shunsui stepped back, hurt by his lover's sudden formality and distance.

"I don't want you fussing around me all the time", the man continued now in a lower tone, turning on the tap and starting to wash his hands under the running water. The bearded man sighed silently and his head dropped. _This has been going on for months now…I'm starting to be out of ideas._

The awkward moment was saved by the door slamming open, letting in a draft of cool evening air. A tall man dressed in a bedraggled suit with a shaggy blond hair waltzed into the bar, shaking off a black trench coat and taking off a brimmed hat, which he carelessly threw somewhere to the general direction of the coat rack. Kisuke Urahara flashed a beaming smile to his friends, distracting their attention from the drama between Jyuushiro and Shunsui to himself, as usually. He paraded to the counter, jumped into a barstool and took a few spins on it like a little child playing. He stopped himself from spinning by slamming his hands on the counter and taking a look around the bar. He saluted Renji and Ichigo and then locked his eyes to his oldest of friends. Shunsui hadn't still managed to hide his pained expression and Jyuushiro was wearing a strained smile, wiping his hands timidly on his apron. _Interesting, _Kisuke thought to himself.

"Good evening gentlemen" he greeted the two men, leaning his chin on his hands, "how things fare with you on this handsome evening?" His exaggerated manners and tone lightened the atmosphere and even made Jyuushiro utter out a small laugh. Shunsui glanced quickly at his lover then at Kisuke, almost feeling jealous of the way the blond man was so easily able to cheer him up. _I don't know how he does it…Maybe because he's not me. _

"We're doing just fine, Urahara-san", Jyuushiro answered, starting to mix Kisuke's usual. He placed before him a tall glass full of dark green liquid with a straw in it and the blond man gladly took a long sip of it, humming in pleasure while wiping the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Ah, you're drinks are still the best in town, Ukitake- san" he flattered "you should come around and teach Tessai how you do it someday." The pale man laughed in embarrassment and waved his hand as to brush off the compliment.

"Flattery doesn't pay off your tab, Urahara- san", Shunsui pointed out while sourly, crossing his hands on his chest. He knew it was selfish and childish to be such a hard ass towards Kisuke but right now his patience was being stretched to its limits.

The constant fights and the bickering were really taking their toll on the normally laid- back Shunsui, he was just so tired and full of having to constantly be on his toes while around Jyuushiro. His health had been declining recently and he was really frustrated by it, he didn't want to be treated like a sick, fragile man, he still had his pride left. Shunsui was trying to persuade him to go on sick leave and leave the bar to him for a while but he wasn't having any of it. The fight had gone on for so long and so bitter that Shunsui wasn't even staying at the bar for the night, he could barely remember when he had last time spend the night with his lover by his side. And he missed him so much it hurt, like there was a fist crushing his heart every time Jyuushiro backed away from his touch or snapped a cold word to him. Today had been a good day, until now. He hadn't really shown it, but earlier when Jyuushiro had touched him he had been overjoyed, thinking that maybe now things could go back to normal. _Guess I was rejoicing way too soon, _Shunsui sighed inwardly. It hurt even more seeing Kisuke being so friendly and even casually touching Jyuushiro's hand while changing pleasantries. _Maybe I should stay away for a longer time. _He tried to compose himself again and walked off to the table where his friends were already getting anxious by their emptying glasses.

"So where's Yoruichi-san tonight?" Jyuushiro asked while pouring a glass of water to Ichigo, who was again leaning his head on Renji's shoulder at the other end of the counter. The redhead patted the young man on the cheek, trying to revive him from his half night comatose. He nodded in thanks to the pale man and tried to get the young man to drink the water.

"Ah, she and Sui- Feng are having a quiet night in", Kisuke answered to Jyuushiro while mixing his drink with the straw, "it's their anniversary" he continued tapping the side of his nose knowingly. Jyuushiro chuckled and sat down on a barstool that was placed behind the counter. He could hear a roar of laughter from the corner table and he could pick out the sound of Shunsui deep cackle, feeling a sting of guilt in his chest. _I should be the one making him laugh, not suffer. _He had actually heard Shunsui's muffled weeping from the bathroom the other night after they had been arguing once again, he had never seen him so upset. _And it's all my fault. _

"I see Ichigo's has had a rough night so far", Kisuke mused with a smiley voice while turning around in his chair to face the other two men at the end of the counter. Renji had managed to kick some life back into his young friend, who was still wavering a bit. When he finally succeeded in focusing his eyes on Kisuke, his face split into a wide, drunken smile and he waved his hand to him overly exaggerated movement which almost made him lose his balance and fall off the chair. Renji was quick to grab him by his other hand and stable him back to his place. He patted Ichigo on the back again and got up from his chair, helping the youngster to his feet by steadying his hand over his own shoulders. They stumbled next to Kisuke, who was finishing his strange drink and watching them from under his shaggy mob of hair. Renji stopped them a few feet away from the man and improved his grip on Ichigo, who was trying to form a coherent sentence. Kisuke stretched his arms above his head and let out a small grunt when his shoulder blades cracked audibly.

"So, how are you bright young things", he smiled softly, lowering his tone almost automatically when talking to his ex-lover and his latest interest. Renji cocked a brow to him while switching his weight from one foot to another, bumping his hip into Ichigo's who was still smiling like an idiot.

"Heyyy Kisukeee" the youngster greeted the man gleefully, leaning forward to slap him on the back presumably, but tripped on his own feet and almost fell to Kisuke's lap. Luckily Renji was quick to pull him back in balance, chuckling at his friend's drunken state.

"I'm fine, he...not so much", the redhead answered to Kisuke, who was slightly disappointed not having the young man fall into his arms. Renji couldn't help but to smile to Ichigo's disorderly form. _He's quite cute when he's going all over the place. This time I can probably get him to dance as well. _Once again Ichigo rest his heavy head on Renji's shoulder, letting out a small sigh.

"I'm so drunk" he huffed while wiping his face with his hand, pressing his eyes shut as if trying to clear his head.

"Right you are, Berry", the redhead laughed, ruffling his friend's orange locks. Kisuke also chuckled while Jyuushiro placed another drink before him.

"Maybe the young Kurosaki should take a break from drinking", the pale man hemmed gently. Kisuke and Renji glanced at Jyuushiro, then at Ichigo who was now groaning with embarrassment and thumbing his forehead with his fist as if it would help him get over his intoxication. Renji gently took hold his fist into his hand.

"That won't help you boke. Drink some more water and then we'll go out to have some fresh air. But meanwhile, Kisuke can look after you", he said and pushed the young man next to Kisuke, who immediately wrapped his arm around Ichigo's slim waist. The youngster leaned his hand on the blond man's shoulder to steady himself and looked at Renji with a hurt expression. The older man had already placed a cigarette between his lips and reached into his pocket for the lighter.

"I'll go have a smoke, you sort him out", he said to Kisuke and Jyuushiro, who acknowledged the command with a smile and in Kisuke's case, a mock salute. Renji legged out of the door into the cooling night air, some lonely stars were already shining in the dark blue sky. He lit his cigarette and was already lost in thought when the door behind him opened and Shunsui stepped out of the bar, lighting his own pipe with a match.

"Mind some company, Abarai-san?" the scruffy man asked while waving his hand to extinct the match. Renji huffed in response and nodded. The men stood in silence for a few minutes, both enjoying their vices at length. Shunsui finally sighed, huffing out smoke in the air. Renji glanced at him, raising his tattooed brows and humming in a questioning tone. The older man scoffed and let a small, frustrated laugh, wiping his forehead with the side of his hand which held the pipe. He drew in breath between his teeth, craning his head back to look at the night sky.

"I just don't know what to do with him." Suddenly Shunsui's cool exterior showed a small crack, his voice was strained from frustration and longing. Renji had never seen him like this, though he had sensed the tension between the two. They had been together as long as Renji had known them, maybe there always comes a time of hardship in every relationship. _It's just that if they are right for each other, one of them has the strength to fight for that relationship, no matter what. If they're lucky…_

"He just won't let me in", Shunsui continued now running his hand through his thick, wavy hair, "I just want to take care of him, I _need _to take care of him." The older man waved his pipe in his hand, leaving a trail of smoke behind.

"He can't be alone, he needs help, I…." he paused to shake his head again, "but I know that he won't let me, he thinks I treat him like a baby or something…But I'm just concerned, I don't want to lose him." His voice cracked when he got to the end of the sentence and he lowered his gaze to the pavement. Shunsui had to fight back the burning of tears in his eyes, he hadn't talked about this to anyone before. All the tension had just been building up and now it all just came out in one go. Suddenly he felt a warm hand on his shoulder, squeezing it firmly and he could smell the mix of cigarette smoke and Renji's cologne.

"Jyuushiro is a proud man, you know that" the redhead started, his voice low and soft "he doesn't want you rubbing in his face that he needs someone to take care of him. He knows you care, believe me. You need to give him time to come to you, if he's already frustrated with you fussing around him you'll only make it worse. He knows you're there for him even if you don't do anything." The young man smiled reassuringly to Shunsui, who looked at him gratefully and sighed once more, shrugging his shoulders and looking at his pipe.

"I know, I know…It's just easier said than done", he said with a faint smile. Renji patted his shoulder and smiled back.

"You and Jyuushiro are perfect for each other, anyone who's ever seen you two together knows that. And trust me that I know it's hard but that why it's worth fighting for. Nothing worth having in this world comes easy", he remarked, "but I guess you already know all this." Shunsui scoffed and nodded. He shook his head and looked at the clear night sky.

"It's funny how some things are so obvious but you only realize them after someone else says them to you out loud" he mused and looked at Renji straight into the eye. The redhead had already stumped his cigarette and was now standing there with his hands in his pockets, a light smirk playing on his lips. Shunsui tapped the ashes out of his pipe and nodded towards the bar.

"Shall we go back inside? I think you're friends will soon be ready to continue their pub crawl." Renji nodded and followed the older man back into the warmth of the pub.


	13. You'll Dance To Anything

**You'll Dance To Anything**

Back inside the bar Ichigo, Kisuke and Jyuushiro were apparently having body shots at the counter while the rest of their friends cheered them. Jyuushiro had poured a line of shots on the counter, while Ichigo was sitting on a bar stool, his shirt hiked up exposing his toned stomach. He also had a slice of lemon between his lips. Kisuke was leaning down to lick Ichigo's stomach and sprinkled a line of salt on the now moist skin. He then knelt down on the floor, licked off the salt, grabbed a shot glass and drowned it, then snapped the slice of lemon from Ichigo's lips. The group cheered wildly and whistled to the stunt, slapping Ichigo on the back while Kisuke sucked on the lemon with a self- satisfied smirk on his face. Shunsui shook his head in disbelief. _Should have better than to leave them all here alone with Kisuke. _He glanced at Renji at his side whose face was unreadable. _Calm before the storm I'd guess._

"Oi, Renji, come and try it!" Rangiku shouted at them from the counter, her face flushed. She grabbed a shot glass from the counter, placed it between her breasts and sprinkled some salt on her neck. She winked at her friend to come closer. Ikkaku and Yumichika bellowed in disbelief while Shuuhei was staring at the shot glass almost mesmerized. Uryuu shook his head in embarrassment and tried to keep Orihime from copying Rangiku.

"Come on Renji, or are you scared?" Rangiku teased the man while jiggling her assets to him. The redhead sighed and stepped in front of the woman, a sinister grin appearing to his face while he leaned down to run his tongue along Rangiku's neckline to lick the salt. Next he grabbed the shot glass in his mouth without using his hands, craned his head back to empty the glass and then raised it above his head victoriously. His friends applauded wildly to this stunt while Jyuushiro laughed shaking his head behind the counter. Kisuke chuckled, hiding the lower half of his face behind his hand. Shunsui had walked behind the counter and poured himself another whisky.

"I see you still have the talent of inducing the crowds, Kisuke" he mused to the blond man while eyeing the group who were continuing their body shot competition, this time it was Yumichika's and Ikkaku's turn. The blond man grinned at Shunsui while waving his hand modestly.

"I'd like to think I merely offer some inspiration", he smiled while taking another shot in his hand and drowning it with one go. Jyuushiro raised his brows to him.

"You are apparently planning to hit the town with the youngsters tonight, I assume?" he asked softly with an amused smile on his face. He hadn't seen Kisuke drinking so recklessly in years. _I wonder what's got everyone so wound up lately that they are hitting the bottle so hard tonight._

"Well I thought I could use a free night once in a while", the blond man replied, once again leaning his chin between his hands on the counter. Shunsui twirled the glass in his hand, making the whisky swirl around the edges. Suddenly he felt Jyuushiro standing next to him with a glass of whisky in his hand. He gestured to toast with Shunsui, who accepted with a slightly surprised expression on his face. Jyuushiro took a sip of his drink, coughed a little and then looked back at Shunsui with a flushed face.

"I still can't really stand whisky" he mumbled. Shunsui chuckled and caressed his lover's hand lightly. Kisuke sensed he was not needed and slid off his chair to join the group who were now cheering on Uryuu to snap the shot between Orihime's breasts.

Ichigo was laughing to Uryuu's red face when he finally managed to man up enough to bury his face in his girlfriend's ample cleavage. With a little help from Shuuhei's eager hand, he almost didn't get his head up from there since the other man was pressing his hand on the back of Uryuu's head, keeping it firmly between Orihime's breasts. The girl squealed and giggled in her tipsy state while Uryuu's muffled voice tried to express his objections. Renji finally stepped in, wrapping his arms around Shuuhei's waist from behind him and pulling him off Uryuu.

"Aaah, Renji, you spoil sport" Shuuhei wailed but was quickly silenced when Renji licked the side of his neck, then gestured to Rangiku to hand him the salt shaker. The woman obliged and threw the salt to Renji, who shook sprinkles across the other man's neck then licked them away slowly and deliberately. He could feel Shuuhei's whole body shivering against him as he took a little longer than he should have. Without dragging the thing any further than he already had, he let go off Shuuhei, stepped to the counter and poured down another shot, suddenly totally forgetting his vow to stay sober that night. But seeing your old lover licking your current interest stomach and then almost kissing him with the excuse of snatching lemons off his lips might do that to a person. Renji snatched a lemon slice from the bowl on the counter and bite into it, feeling the freshness of the juice clean his mouth from the bitter taste of tequila.

"Whoa whoa Renji, slow it down" Yumichika laughed and grabbed himself a shot, downing it like a pro. He shook his head from the taste and picked a lemon to bite into. He stared at Renji from under his brows while chewing the yellowy fruit. He then stepped closer to his friend while throwing the slice to a bowl full of already eaten lemons.

"Are you alright?" he asked in a low voice, glancing back at the rest of their friends. The redhead nodded reassuringly, eyeing at yet another shot.

"Why shouldn't I be?" he asked in return, pouring salt over the back of his hand, taking a lemon and a shot ready. Yumichika placed his hand over the shot.

"You stopped drinking at Rangiku's and now when Urahara went all over Ichigo you suddenly started to hit the bottle again" the man whispered, cocking his neat brows, "am I sensing some jealousy in the air?" Renji barked out a laugh, and then looked at Yumichika who suddenly didn't seem as drunk as he ought to be with the amount of booze he had downed that night.

"How on Earth can you still be relatively sober after all that booze?" the redhead asked. Yumichika flipped his perfect hair and snickered a little.

"Oh, practice makes perfect, my dear Renji. Mind you, one doesn't need to be sober to see how you drool after our dear little Berry-tan", Yumichika winked to Renji suggestively and they both glanced at the said man, who Rangiku was trying to snatch a shot from between her breasts like Renji had earlier.

"But I do understand you, Renji", Yumichika continued in his usual nonchalant tone, fiddling with his necklace "he is hot as fuck." Renji let out an involuntarily chuckle hearing Yumichika swear, it sounded twice as rude as usual when it came from the mouth of his most camp friend. Yumichika himself chuckled too and continued eyeing to young man who was now trying to persuade Kira to take his place in drinking tequila between Rangiku's breasts.

"God, just look at that perfect face. And he's got a fit body too, we all saw that earlier", Yumichika whispered to Renji who nodded in agreement. _Don't I know it…_

"But I don't understand that if you are so obviously into little Berry why don't you just go and get him", the raven haired man quizzed his friend with an elegant raise of a perfect eyebrow. Renji was still staring at Ichigo who had managed to wriggle out of sinking his head in Rangiku's cleavage and was now chatting with Chad, leaning heavily against the tall man and slapping him on the back.

"It's not that simple, Yumi", the redhead sighed and swirled the shot in his hand. Warmth of the tequila was already burning in his stomach but he knew that he'd need much more if he really wanted to get sloshed that night.

"Good evening to you gentle men", a soft voice called from the side. Both men turned their heads to look at Kisuke, who was leaning on the counter carelessly as ever with a group of martinis before him. The blond smiled at them and pushed two glasses towards the men and Yumichika gladly took one, toasted to Kisuke and took a careful sip of the drink. He hummed pleasantly and smiled.

"Mmmm, good stuff." He glanced at Renji who hadn't still touched his glass. The redhead and Kisuke were staring at each other, the older man with a wry smile playing in his lips and his eyes twinkling under his hair. Yumichika hemmed to himself and took another sip of the martini before quietly backing out of the situation. _Let them have a little privacy, shall we…._

Kisuke swiveled himself into a chair next to Renji and pushed the martini even closer to him.

"Drink up, it's on me", he said with a quick wink. Renji tilted his head to the side to glance at the glass and after a moment's more hesitation, grabbed it and downed with a single gulp. The blond man gasped in surprise and raised his brows but Renji didn't seem to notice, only placed the glass back on the counter, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I see you're planning to have fun tonight" his ex-lover pointed out smilingly. The redhead scoffed, still not talking to the man. Kisuke sighed, rolling his eyes upwards and then glancing quickly around the bar. Since no one was paying attention to them, Shunsui and Jyuushiro were mumbling to each other's ears something romantic and rest of their friends were trying to persuade Byakuya to join in with the drinking, he leaned in closer to Renji to whisper in his ear.

"C'mon baby don't be like that" he said and caressed the back of Renji's neck, taking his long braid between his fingers and twiddling it gently. The younger man snapped his head away and groaned in irritation.

"Just don't, Kisuke", he murmured lowly, glancing sideways at the blond man, "we're not that close anymore and we won't be so just leave it, okay?" With that he rose from his chair and started to walk away, but Kisuke snapped hold of his arm.

"Why are you like that?" he asked and Renji could hear something in his voice that was different from the usual, pain, longing? _Could it possibly be that Kisuke Urahara actually has feelings? _He mused to himself while turning around to face the man. Staring at his face Renji could for a moment feel the old feeling butterflies in his stomach, smell the man's sweet scent after sex, feel his weight on top of him and the touch of his skillful hands…He had to shake his head to clear his mind of those thoughts. He concentrated his gaze on the man's big grey eyes that were looking at him asking for answers. Renji couldn't recall seeing Kisuke looking so helpless and clueless, usually he oozed with confidence and grace, now he looked a sad puppy that had been kicked one too many times by its owner.

Renji groaned and scratched the back of his head.

"Don't look at me like that, you're making me feel bad", he said with a small smirk. The blond man seemed to be relieved by this small gesture of friendliness and part of his usual disposition returned. Renji legged back to the counter and sat back on the barstool, raising his legs to rest them on the coil. For a few moments they sat in silence, watching the futile attempts to get Byakuya join in with them and finally turning their attention to Chad, who hadn't drunk single tequila yet.

"So, care to tell me what I have done to hurt you so badly?" the older man asked, taking a martini in his hand and picking out the olive. The man beside him shifted in his seat an exhaled heavily, shaking his head.

"I wouldn't know where to start" he said, rubbing his knee with his hand.

"Oh", Kisuke said, looking quite hurt by the comment.

"Should I mention the fact that you decided that the best way to break-up with me was to publicly humiliate me by groping another man on the stage or that now you seem to be after my best friend", the redhead listed sourly. Kisuke winced at his words, though he knew perfectly well that they were very justified. He was fully aware of his lack of finesse in private business and thought he tried to make it known that he was never really serious in his relationships he still succeeded in hurting all the people he was intimate with. _Okay, so the stage thing was pretty insensitive, even more so since I really liked Renji. And still do._

"Alright, alright, you have a case there and I sincerely apologize for any hurt and pain I've caused you", he announced, trying to look submissive and kind. Renji scoffed and waved his hand as if to swat off the apology.

"It's nothing really, I just like to see you squirm" he grinned at the man "but if you could keep your hands off my Ichi, I'd appreciate it." The blond man raised his brows to Renji, glancing sideways at the young man who was now cheering on Chad to down the tequila.

"Oh, I see", he exclaimed overly happy as if he'd just had an epiphany, "of course, of course, no questions asked there" he beamed at the redhead. Renji frowned at the man's sudden expression of joy but decided to let it go, _Kisuke was a nut job anyway so…_

Ichigo had been looking at the two men for some time now, watching as first Kisuke was being friendly towards Renji, then Renji almost walking out on him but then giving in to the blond man's pleadings. Now they seemed to be getting on quite fine, and they both kept on looking at him from time to time. In his drunken brain this was an invitation to walk up to them and break up the tension. Without any further thought, he legged towards the men and slumped himself on Renji's lap, flailing his hands on the redhead's neck.

"What's with the sour faces", he asked, pouting his lips again, giving them his best puppy eyes- face. Kisuke chuckled lowly and ruffled the boy's hair. Renji had wrapped his hands around Ichigo's waist to keep him from dropping on the floor from his lap. _Must you be so goddamn cute, it's hard enough as it is without you scrambling into my lap, _he cursed the young man. _It's impossible to ignore you when you're making that face. _Kisuke was probably thinking the same and Renji first felt timid, wondering if the man eater was really going to keep his word. Then Kisuke looked him in the eye reassuringly and the redhead relaxed, maybe now he should stop worrying so much.

Next to them, Ikkaku had just downed the last tequila and slammed it on the counter.

"Alright people, time to continue!" he bellowed, snatching smiling Yumichika to his side and giving him a kiss on the cheek. The other man laughed and pushed his partner away gently, patting his immaculate hair.

"Don't ruin my hair, you barbarian", he remarked but his words were out of kindness and he said them with a soft smile, his hand caressing Ikkaku's neck. Rangiku laughed at the duo's display and leaped to Byakuya's side, wrapping her hand around his forearm. The business man looked at the woman with a puzzled look on his graceful features but then remembered the woman's feisty nature and seemingly surrendered to his role as her avec for the evening. Rukia giggled further away with Orihime, it was quite a sight seeing those two polar opposites standing next to each other like a couple. Rangiku looked back at the counter where the rest of their circle of friends was sitting.

"Oi you three!" she hollered at them, catching their attention, "we're leaving, get your act together." The men nodded in agreement and rose from the chairs, Renji gently placing Ichigo back on the floor but keeping his arms around him to steady him. Kisuke waltzed gracefully to Byakuya and Rangiku, locking his forearm with the business man so he was now between Kisuke and Rangiku, looking increasingly peeved. Kisuke and Rangiku winked to each other like old accomplices and laughed at something only they seemed to know. The group waved back to their hosts, who were still snuggling at the corner of the counter.

"Thank you Ukitake- san, Kyoraku-san!" Orihime hollered at them and the men smiled back gently, Shunsui saluting their leaving friends and Jyuushiro waving at them.

The group walked out of the bar into the cool night air, starting their walk to the next club. Ikkaku and Yumichika lead them on, followed by Shuuhei and Kira who were swaying across the sidewalk, leaning against each other. Uryuu, Orihime, Chad and Rukia were their own little group and after them came Renji and Ichigo, the redhead already lighting a cigarette.

"Mind giving me a light, Abarai", he heard a soft voice calling behind him and saw that Rangiku had placed a cigar between Byakuya's lips and Kisuke was fumbling for his lighter from his pockets. Renji smirked and lighted the cigar, earning an annoyed raise of an eyebrow from the business man.

"How is he going to…" Ichigo asked, pointing to the man's already locked forearms. Kisuke smiled at him and snatched the cigar of the man's lips so he could exhale.

"This is just childish and immature, Urahara", Byakuya protested, puffing out cigar smoke. Rangiku giggled and squeezed the man's arm, leaning her head against the man's shoulder.

"Oh, don't be like that, Byakuya, let's have a good time tonight", she chimed happily. She probably squeezed the man's arm more than was necessary since he suddenly became more cooperative and let Kisuke place the cigar back to his lips.

"This time, I'll let you off the hook. Just this once", he mumbled from the side of his mouth.

"Yeah, whatever Byakushi", the woman laughed, letting the evening air fan her hair. She inhaled the fresh air to her lungs, managing to inhale some of the cigar smoke as well. The reached into her jacket's inside pocket and pulled out a cell phone, glancing quickly at its screen. _No new message or calls, _she mused inwardly, _what a surprise. _She shoved the phone back into her pocket and tried not to worry about her boyfriend's whereabouts once again.

"So Rangiku-san", Kisuke called out from Byakuya's other side. The woman turned her eyes to the blond man who was smiling kindly to her. _Wonder if he knows where Gin is, _Rangiku pondered, _he knows every mobster and criminal in town and I've seen Gin's boss hang around his club…_

"How's Ichimaru doing these days?" the blond man asked her, pausing for a moment to take off the cigar from Byakuya's lips and tasting it himself. Rangiku sighed lightly but managed to smile one sidedly.

"I guess you'd know better than me, Kisuke", she answered, flicking an estranged strand of hair back. The blond man hemmed and reached over Byakuya to caress Rangiku's cheek with the side of his hand.

"He's fine, trust me" he murmured gently and pulled back his hand. Rangiku felt her heart lighten but also tears burning behind her eyes. She mimed a silent "thank you" to the man and turned her attention back to the star- filled night sky. Between the two Byakuya cocked his brow to the conversation. _Well, this is uniquely fascinating indeed._

Ahead of them, Renji and Ichigo were wobbling across the street, murmuring to each other and bursting into giggles from time to time. The tequila had certainly done its deed and both men were now suitably drunk and merry.

"Aaah, c'mon Renji, that's not true!" Ichigo exclaimed while the redhead laughed his head off, waving his cigarette in his hand.

"It is, believe you me" he snorted back, not being able to smoke his cigarette from all the laughing. The young man scoffed and nudged his friend between the ribs with his elbow.

"I'm quite sure I've never have vomited on the bouncer of _Smack!_" he retorted, only making Renji howl out of laughter. He broke into an improvised song&dance- number inspired by the bars' name.

"Smack that, all on the floor, smack that, I want some more", he belted out, taking a few dance steps on the street and miming smacking someone's bottom with his hand. Ichigo burst into laughter, holding his sides with his hands.

"Oh for God's sakes Renji stop that, stop that now" he giggled, having to lean to a lamp post so he wouldn't fall to the pavement laughing. Renji was also cackling away, having to stop so he could breathe for a moment. Kisuke, Rangiku and Byakuya walked past them, chancing knowing gazes between them. _Idiots._

When Renji finally regained his senses he legged to Ichigo, pulling the teenage back to his feet and wrapping his arm around the youngster's slim hips.

"Let's get going, we're leaving behind", he said, still chuckling at Ichigo's scrunched up face. The teen nodded and they started to walk a few meters behind the others. After a moments recollecting silence Renji spoke out.

"Oi Ichigo", he started, making Ichigo raise his head to look at his red haired friend.

"Yeees, Renji", he said, a slight drunken grin already appearing on his face.

"Did you really sleep with Zaraki that one night we were out on the town?" For a second, Renji could see the answer on the youngster's smitten face.

"Errrr….well I, I..." he mumbled in surprised confusion.

"Uuuu, so you most obviously did, you little bastard!" Renji howled out, cackling with laughter once more. Ichigo tried to smack him to make him stop but to no avail.

"Well it's your fault, you pointed him out to me!" the young man protested.

"Well yeah alright, I did, I did", his friend assented, trying to calm his friend down.

After another small silence Renji leaned in closer to Ichigo's ear and whispered:

"Was it good?" The young man seemed baffled first and tried to form an answer that would let him off the hook but Renji's grinning face and raising eyebrows didn't really help.

"Yes", he finally murmured back, making Renji exclaim again.

"So aren't you glad that I pointed him out to you?" he asked Ichigo, who was now blushing furiously.

"Aww, don't be so shy, Ichi, I bet he loved pounding you into the mattress. Or wall. Or whatever it was you're leaning against", the redhead tried to comfort his friend, only getting back a 'ha ha, not funny'- look from him. He ruffled his orange locks once more, pressing his face into the mass of hair that smelt of some fruity shampoo. He chuckled lowly as his ruffling changed into soft caresses and he smacked a kiss on top of Ichigo's head. The young man hemmed pleasantly and wrapped his arm around Renji's hips, pulling him a bit closer yet. Renji still leaned his head against Ichigo's as they strolled behind others towards the night club.

"I like you, Renji", the young man sighed, the redhead's hand still fiddling his hair. The older man smiled and smacked another kiss on Ichigo's forehead this time.

"I like you too, Berry." Both men smiled and Ichigo let out a small chuckle, like a little girl who's just stolen a kiss from her first crush. Renji grinned to himself as they walked in silence for a minute or so.

"But hey, wait", he suddenly said, making Ichigo hum in acknowledgement, "was Zaraki your first ever man?" This made Ichigo make a strangled sound, something between a scoff and a chortle. Renji looked on his young friend with wide eyes and open mouth, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Ichigo, you animal!" he shouted out, again starting to laugh his head off to the young man's reddened face. He was trying to bury his face into his hands, mumbling "no,no,no,no,no" and trying to slip out of Renji's grasp.

"Hey hey hey, don't run away, I wanna hear everything!" the redhead cackled and wrapped both of his arms around the wailing youngster. Rangiku and Kisuke were looking behind their shoulders to see what the fuss was all about. Renji waved his hand to them to encourage them to just keep on walking. Rangiku shrugged her shoulders with an indifferent expression on her face.

"They're always like that, don't bother Kisuke", she said to the blond man who was wearing his trademark wry smile again. He quickly snapped his head back and concentrated on walking straight again hearing the woman's words.

"Whatever you say, Rangiku-san" he said gleefully, making the woman laugh and slap him in the arm.

"Oh stop it, Kisuke."

Behind them Renji was still trying to get Ichigo come off his embarrassment and tell him all the naughty bits of his encounter with Zaraki.

"Oh c'mon, it couldn't be that bad, you said he was good!" the redhead grinned and tried to tickle the young man's sides so he would let his hands fall off from his face.

"Seriously, I never thought you'd really go for it" he continued, still cackling at his friend's antics. Ichigo had finally recovered little from his bashfulness and just leaned against Renji, shaking his head.

"Well it kinda happened so fast that I didn't have the chance to say no", he said, scratching the back of his head, "he just took me to his car and we drove to his place, or I guess it was his place…and then we just…you know", he ended, with an awkward smile on his lips. Renji couldn't but feel a little pity for the young man, mixed with almost hysterical malicious delight which the mental image of the said situation caused.

"Awww, poor Ichi", he said, patting him on the head again "was he gentle with you?" Ichigo pursed his lips together and let out a hum that the redhead took as a "no". Renji drew in breath between his teeth making a hissing sound.

"Oh, I can imagine what that what like. I hear he's quite well- endowed." The young man rolled his eyes with an expression that spelled out 'obviously'.

"You can say that again", he huffed, letting out a small laugh when he realized how surreal the situation was.

"Oh well, as long as he didn't tear you a new one I guess it's all fine", Renji smirked, making Ichigo howl out of embarrassment once more.

"Renji, you're gross!" he laughed, smacking the redhead on the chest while trying not to trip on his own feet.

"Hey, you two!" Rangiku called out ahead. The two men tried to smother their laughter and concentrate their eyes on the woman. They had arrived to the nightclub and would soon be walking inside.

"Try to act civil for a few seconds or else the bouncer will throw you out for being high or something, you certainly sound like it" she huffed to the men, who tried to look bashful and nodded obediently. They walked to the back of the line, still bursting into giggles from time to time and scolding each other for laughing. Finally they managed to get their game faces on, leaning against each other trying to look cool and indifferent. Their demeanor was partly broken when every time they looked at each other they burst into muffled cackles, but Rangiku's icy glances quieted them down. They made it to the door and the bouncer glared at them as if trying to scare them away. When Rangiku came to him however, his eyes widened and his whole appearance changed to almost amiable as he welcomed the lady into their humble abode. Byakuya passed the man without as much as a glance to him, Kisuke waltzed behind him raising his hat to the bouncer mockingly and Renji and Ichigo tried not to walk into the wall while still looking presentable and relatively sober and sane.

At long last they all made their way inside the club, where strobe lights and loud music greeted them. Ikkaku and Yumichika had already run to the bar, followed by Kira and Shuuhei and the all four were debating on whether they should have shots or just beers for start. Orihime, Uryuu, Rukia and Chad were looking for a table big enough for all of them and Rangiku had skipped to the DJ's booth, telling him what songs to play that night. Byakuya seemed bit out of place there, fiddling with his cuffs. Kisuke had taken off his jacket and hat again and leaned his elbow against the man's shoulder.

"C'mon Kuchiki-san, let's go get something to drink, shall we?" he gestured to the man, accidentally brushing away a strand of hair from his face. Byakuya looked at the blond man quizzically, but then seemed flash a quick smile to him and obliged, walking beside him to the counter. Renji and Ichigo had been watching the two men and raised their eyebrows to each other.

"You think they…" the younger man started, pointing towards the said pair. Renji shrugged his shoulders and glanced at Byakuya, who was now talking to Kisuke on the counter. The blond man laughed and patted the other man on the back.

"They actually might, you know", the redhead said, with a wide grin appearing to his face.

"It might do him some good", he continued, walking down the few steps from the cloakroom to the bar area.

The place wasn't yet that full of people, but Renji could already see a few familiar faces. He noticed that he was automatically looking for a certain flash of blue amongst the crowd and wanted to smack himself for that. _Not tonight, please. It's your first night out with your real friends in a long time and you don't wanna spoil it by hiding from anyone who even slightly resembles Grimmjow._ He almost flinched when Ichigo jumped on him wrapping his arms around his neck.

"C'mon Renji, I'm getting old here!" he smirked to the redhead, his face inches away from Renji's, "let's go get drinks and then some." The older man hemmed to the young man's eagerness and bumped his forehead against Ichigo's to shake him off.

"Oh, you're so rough", he laughed, letting his grip go and rubbing his temples.

"I know you like it", Renji retorted with a wink. They walked to the counter where their male friends were having shots, again.

"Alright, one, two, three!" Ikkaku counted and then all six of them downed the shots, slamming the glasses back to the counter with an aria of sounds varying from puffed breaths to muffled gags. Kira coughed, rubbing his chest to ease the burning sensation. Even Byakuya's face contorted to a small frown.

"What the hell was that Ikkaku?" Shuuhei demanded rubbing his throat. The bald man hacked out a laugh and waved to the bartender for seconds.

"Just something I came up with earlier, just wait till it starts to really kick in", he answered with a devilish grin. Kira let out a worried sigh and wobbled away from the counter to their table. Renji and Ichigo squeezed themselves to the counter and tapped their fingers expectantly against the wooden surface.

"So what are we having?" Ichigo asked Kisuke, who was now resting his other hand on Byakuya's shoulder. The blond man glanced at the youngster under his mass of hair and shrugged his shoulders.

"Something quite strong, apparently. Ikkaku's own concoction I believe." Ichigo raised an eyebrow to Renji hearing this.

"You sure you want to try it?" The redhead pursed his lips and nodded.

"Guess it can't be that bad."

The song on the background had changed into a more electric sounding, with a dominating base beat. Renji saw how Rangiku dragged Orihime to the dance floor and they were almost instantly surrounded by a group predatory looking guys with too much product in their hair and obnoxiously coloured shirts. He tapped Ichigo on the shoulder and pointed to the dance floor.

"I'll go save them", he noted and slipped away from the counter, rolling his shoulders back and forth as if preparing for a showdown. He made his way past the other dancers until he was standing behind one of the guys surrounding his friends. He tapped him on the shoulder and when the man turned to look at him with an irritated look on his face, he grinned widely to him, making his face drop and he tried to scramble away. Rangiku shot a scolding look at him when he slid himself next to her.

"Be nice, Renji", she remarked, slapping him on the arm. The redhead made a confused expression and waved his hands as if he didn't know what she was talking about. Orihime giggled and twirled round the dance floor, whipping her hair around her. Renji laughed and snatched the girl in his arms, spinning her around so that her feet almost buckled under her. Renji held her up, both giggling with their foreheads pressed together. Rangiku rolled her eyes to them and kicked Renji in the shins.

"Get up, you boke! This is a dance floor" she laughed, trying to get them up, only to almost tumble down herself.

At the bar their friends were following their antics with much confusion.

"What on Earth are they doing?" Byakuya remarked. Ichigo had to bite down on his knuckles to muffle his laughter while Kisuke nudged him in the ribs in order to keep him quiet. Yumichika huffed, flicking back his hair and focusing on the drinks' list. Ikkaku and Shuuhei were once again counting down on when to gulp their next shots, their arms linked from the elbow so that their foreheads were almost bumping to each other. They nearly managed to knock over their glasses when they raised them to their lips simultaneously but succeeded to get most of the alcohol into their mouths.

"Alright, should we find our sets, gentlemen?" Kisuke prompted, rubbing his hands together. When the others had obediently left the counter, he eyed Byakuya wryly and stepped next to him, lowering his hand gently on the man's shoulder.

"So, Kuchiki- san", he murmured to his ear, catching the man's attention "we've never really had had a chance for a proper chat so why don't you tell me all about yourself?" The business man frowned at Kisuke's question and almost shook his hand away but then something stopped him. He glanced around and seeing that nobody was really paying any attention, he contemplated the idea to himself for a few seconds and then nodded. _I guess having fun once in a decade can't harm you, can it?_


	14. My Only Regret Is You

**Pulling an all-nighter with this chapter, I want to get it done now since the coming weekend will be lost in a drunken haze (klara vappen everyone!) and then I need to write an eight page essay the social changes in Britain, whippii! Plus I have exams coming up and even though I now have had a whole week to prepare for them, I've done nothing but enjoyed the spring (and written smut). Anyone interested in reading Ichi&Ken smut, go check out my newest creation. Seemingly popular pairing btw, much more popular than Renji&Kisuke anyway. Oh well, maybe people just want to read about Ichi getting bummed by Kenpachi, or so it would seem. But so, a new chapter again, one reviewer said she got the feeling that Renji might cheat on Ichi and I think it was because of Byakuya stepping on the scene(?). So maybe I'll put some more fuel to that fire in this chapter but don't worry, Renji and Byakun just have a..."special" relationship, should we say. It'll all get more or less clear in the chapter. I think I'm getting over my head here, but who cares. My story, my rules. **

**My Only Regret Is You**

Ichigo slumped in the bench beside Rukia, nodding to Chad and Uryuu who was looking at his girlfriend gyrating on the dance floor. Kisuke and Byakuya sat opposite them, seemingly deep in conversation. Ichigo cocked an eyebrow to this and leaned to Rukia.

"What's suddenly up with your brother and Urahara-san?" The girl glanced at the men and a puzzled look came onto her face as well. She lowered her voice like a conspirator when answering to Ichigo.

"I don't know, I just noticed. Odd, really", she murmured, throwing sideways glances to her brother and the blond man, "usually he detest the man."

"I know, just today I heard him refer to Urahara-san as a gigolo…So maybe he's just very horny", Ichigo sniggered, earning a sharp kick to the shins from Rukia.

"Don't talk like that about my brother", she hissed, "it was bad enough when I walked on him and Renji when they were…at it." The young man almost howled out of laughter but was silenced by yet another kick, this time bit higher. His muffled sounds earned odd looks around the table, but Rukia flashed them a wide smile and waved her hand.

"It's alright, Ichigo's just feeling funny", she chirped.

Rukia turned back to Ichigo, warning him not to laugh again. The youngster smothered his laughter into his palm and then tried to regain his senses. He smirked at the girl, shoulders still bouncing up and down from held back chuckles.

"Did you really walk in on them?" Rukia's cheek turned bright red. She glanced around them again and leaned even closer to Ichigo.

"Well, we live in the same house and tell the truth, they were at it like drunk monkeys at times." Ichigo's eyes widened and he stared at Byakuya with astonishment, then at Renji who was still strutting his stuff on the dance floor with the girls, now joined in by Yumichika. Rukia could almost hear the boy's brain cracking with the mental image.

"Naah, that can't be true", he finally scoffed and looked back at Rukia, who was looking quite serious. Ichigo's face contorted again.

"They really did?" The girl nodded and shuddered at the memory.

"They _really _did. I mean, Nii-sama can't have the rest of the family know about his relationships, so they could never appear in public together. And you can imagine what it does to you when you have to repress your feelings for years and then when he met Renji, well…It didn't take long for them to…" her voice trailer away but didn't really leave anything to the imagination.

"And you managed to walk in on them?" Rukia's blush got few shades darker.

"Well, it's my home too! And I didn't know, they didn't tell me! So I that's how I found out."

Rukia had to snap her mouth shut when Renji suddenly appeared next to them, placing his hand on Ichigo's shoulder.

"What are you two gossiping about here?" he smirked at the two. Rukia beamed at him like she hadn't just been telling about his past sexual adventures.

"Nothing Renji, just chatting away" she chirped again. The redhead mumbled "ahaa" and glanced at Ichigo, who looked as though he was trying to win the Most Nonchalant Facial Expression Award.

"Well then you won't mind if I steal Ichigo away for a moment", he grinned while pulling his friend up from the bench. The young man suddenly looked panicky.

"Wait, for what?" The redhead rolled his eyes.

"To dance, obviously." Ichigo slammed his feet on the floor, stopping them both on their trails. He shook his head, laughing nervously.

"No, no, no, I don't dance" he said. Renji cocked his eyebrow to him, smiling wryly, suspiciously similar to Kisuke trademark grin.

"You do now, c'mon Berry", he persuaded, lowering his voice to a hoarse, alluring tone, caressing the inside of Ichigo wrist with his thumb and leaning his head closer to the youngster's.

"It'll be fun, I promise."

Rukia watched the display with her hand in front of her face, chuckling at her friend's attempts to clearly sweep Ichigo off his feet. _He doesn't really need to go that far, everyone can see that Ichigo has the hots for him and if Renji said jump, he would. On him, most likely. _With an involuntary groan Ichigo finally let the redhead drag him onto the dance floor, where they were greeted by excited cheer from Rangiku, Orihime and Yumichika. Renji grinned victoriously and twirled Ichigo round on the floor, making him almost trip on his own feet. The youngster blushed fiercily.

"See, I'm totally useless", he whined to his friend who only shook his head and patted him on the back.

"Don't worry, I'll teach you." Ichigo lifted an eyebrow to the redhead's statement.

"Are you sure you're any better than me?" The man huffed offended and looked at Ichigo from under his brow.

"Have you seen me? I am self- proclaimed Lord of the Dance", he grinned, twirling round on his place and striking a ridiculous 70' dance pose. Orihime and Rangiku laughed at him, Yumichika hemming in amusement and concentrating on his own delicate dance moves.

"C'mon Ichigo, it's not that hard", Orihime said softly and grabbed the boy's hand in her own, pulling him closer. She placed her small hands on his hips and started to sway him along the music.

"Just relax, Ichi", he heard Renji remark beside him, already moving smoothly to the music and grabbing Rangiku's hand to spin the busty woman around. The honey blond laughed and spun around, moving her feet gracefully which was quite a feat with those extremely high stiletto heels she was wearing. Renji could noticed again how the other man at the bar were drooling after the luscious woman he was dancing with, chuckling inwardly and pulling her closer, running his hands along her curves. Rangiku immediately went along with it, grinding her hips into Renji's and entangling her fingers round his braided mane, pulling the man's head in level with hers. They both smiled widely knowing exactly what their little dance looked like and continued shamelessly, earning envious looks all around the bar.

Next to them Ichigo was beginning to get the hang of things, but he was also noticing the cold look that Uryuu was throwing at his way from the table.

"I don't think your boyfriend appreciates you helping me", he leaned in to whisper in Orihime's ear. Accidentally he also caught a good glimpse into her dress's plunging neckline and stopped for a second to stare at his friend's ample bosom before snapping back into reality and seeing that Uryuu's face now even colder than before. Ichigo quickly retrieved a bit back so he wouldn't look as he was trying to motorboat Orihime, who just laughed and swung her hips against his.

"Don't worry about him, he's just a bit touchy about you. And after that thing", she flicked her wrist as if pointing to the past incident she'd been through, "he's been really protective of me. But that's just him, it's really sweet in a way." Orihime glanced at her boyfriend, flashing a smile and waving to him cheerfully. Uryuu managed to curl his lips upwards to a makeshift smile and raised his fingers off the table as an answer to Orihime's wave.

"He doesn't seem that happy", Ichigo chuckled and twirled Orihime round, then wrapped his arms around her waist and bending her down into a tango-styled drop. The girl in his arms laughed softly as he lifted her back to her feet.

"And you said you couldn't dance, you bastard", he heard Renji remark beside him. He turned around to see the redhead jamming on his own now, Rangiku had moved into Yumichika's arms and together they were dancing something of a mock tango, bodies pressed together in a tight embrace and joined hands pointing straight forward, knees bend and fierce looks on their faces.

Orihime gracefully let herself go off Ichigo's hold and walked to their table, trying to get Uryuu to dance. When the raven-haired man shook his head, she pouted her plump lips to him and crossed her hands beneath her ample chest. Suddenly both Ikkaku and Shuuhei jumped off their seats, offering to be her dance partner. She smiled at the men's enthusiasm and accepted Ikkaku's offer, mouthing an apology to Shuuhei and swearing his turn would be next. The bald man stuck his tongue out to Shuuhei but then quickly composed his face seeing Uryuu's death glare. He skipped behind Orihime to the dance floor and they begun a mock-tango dance off with Rangiku and Yumichika, strutting their stuff across the floor. Renji and Ichigo enjoyed the show their friends put up and the redhead glanced at the youngster from the corner of his eye.

"Wanna give it go?" he asked grinning. Ichigo frowned first and was going to say 'no' but seeing his friend's smile and once again remembering how drunk he really was, he nodded sheepishly and let Renji wrap his arms around him. They arranged their faces into a suitably fierce expressions, entwined their fingers and started to parade on the floor like their friends.

The three pairs swept across the floor, occasionally bursting into fits of laughter and displaying outrageous dance poses. They swiftly changed partners and continued this display for a good long time, until they were all unable to continue due their continues giggling and wobbled off the dance floor, leaning against each other for support and slumping to their table. The shots Ikkaku had offered earlier seemed to take effect on Kisuke and Byakuya, since the blond man had now draped his other arm around the other's shoulders, fiddling with strands of his black hair. Ichigo glanced at them and then back Renji, making a 'what the hell'- face to him. Renji followed his gaze to the two men and a wide grin appeared on his face. He patted confused Ichigo on the shoulder.

"Just let them have some fun", he whispered into the youngster's ear, "I know for a fact that at least Byakuya could need a damned good shag." Ichigo was in the middle of taking a refreshing sip from a drink that Chad had offered him and almost spat it out hearing Renji's words. He wiped his mouth to the back of his hand and glared at the redhead.

"Don't put images like that in my head", he mumbled to the man who just wiggled his tattooed eyebrows in response.

"Oh, don't be a prude and drink", he just smirked and snatched the drink of Ichigo's hand, gulping down almost half of it with one go. He then slammed his hands on the table and rose up, feeling his knees wobbling a bit under him. His vision blurred for a second and he had to draw in a deep breath before daring to move again. _Strong stuff, as usually. _

"I'll go have a smoke, anyone care to join me?" he asked the table collectively, already taking out his packet of cigarettes. He glanced purposefully at Kisuke.

"You, Byakuya, perhaps" he said, stressing his words meaningfully. The man tore his eyes off Kisuke and seeing the look Renji was giving him, nodded silently and rose of his seat, letting the blond man's arm fall off his shoulders.

"Lead the way", the redhead said, gesturing towards the doors with his hand. The business man obeyed though raised an eyebrow to the man's mannerisms and walked outside into the fresh air of the night.

Byakuya took out one of his expensive cigars and patted his pockets for the matches when Renji stepped in closer and lit the cigar with his ever present lighter.

"You're welcome", he remarked and lit his own cigarette, closing his other hand around it to stop the night breeze from disturbing the process. Byakuya glared at his cigar.

"You do know that cigars are supposed to be lit with matches only, otherwise the aromas will be ruined", he said flatly but took a breath of the cigar anyway. He then blew out a smoke cloud and nodded.

"And they're right." Renji just scoffed at the notion and smoked his own cigarette with usual dedication. He fiddled the packet in his hand, reminded once again whose favourite brand they were. _Didn't I plan to switch the brand? Well might as well smoke these out first, there's just a few left anyway. And when did I buy this packet, yesterday, the day before? _

"Did you have a particular reason to drag me out of that horrid place, Abarai?" Byakuya demanded him with his usual self- respective tone of voice. Renji snapped his head up and gave the man a complimentary smile.

"Oh, nothing special", he started, kicking some small rocks on the ground, not looking at the man in the eyes, "just wondering one thing." He could sense Byakuya's irritation growing with every hedging word.

"Spit it out, Abarai, I have no patience for games tonight."

"Oh I can see that", the redhead murmured to himself, "not when Kisuke's sweet ass is waiting for you inside."

Suddenly Byakuya was right in front of him.

"What did you say", he snarled, "Abarai." Renji smirked, _so it's true. _

"Nothing, just wondering how you and Kisuke are suddenly so close." The business man huffed and waved his cigar in the air, taking a few steps back.

"We're not, at the moment he just happens to be the only sensible and most sober adult in the group. And since I have no interest in taking part in your immature shenanigans that you call 'dancing', he just amuses me until I can excuse myself from our childish company." Renji raised his inked eyebrows to the man's words.

"So now he's no longer an idiotic gigolo but a sensible adult? My, my…" he shook his head lightly and let out a chuckle. He heard Byakuya huff in frustration and saw him roll his eyes.

"Don't start imagining things that are not there, Abarai."

"So you let him get his hands all over you just because you like his company?" the redhead smirked victoriously "doesn't seem plausible to me." _What was that, did Byakuya just blush a little? _

"He did not have his hands all over me", the man retorted but Renji could see a crack already forming in his cool exterior. He stepped closer to Byakuya, wrapping his arm around him like Kisuke had before.

"C'mon Byakushi, you can tell me", he chirped to him, leaning his head against the man's shoulder "tell everything to good olde Renji." Byakuya scoffed but didn't shake him off.

"Have you been with anyone since me?" Renji whispered into his ear, now more gently than before, real concern sounding from his voice. The other man sighed deeply, fiddling with his cigar and tapping the ashes off it.

"No." Renji felt a twinge of sorrow somewhere in his chest, he could never understand the life Byakuya lived. _How could I, an orphan brat from the streets who has no one to answer for anything I do, I can just go and get drunk, shag someone I've never met and basically just do whatever the hell I wanted. But he can't do anything without thinking about how his family would react. And all those awful women they keep throwing at him, perish the thought, _Renji cringed inwardly when remembering one time when he had witnessed one of the "noble" women Byakuya's family had him date in order to find him a suitable wife.

This one had been outstandingly obnoxious, she had leeched off Byakuya the whole night they had been out and when they had come back to his house, where Renji and Rukia were spending the night, she had been drunk out of her skull and groping Byakuya quite tactlessly. Renji could have seen the disgust on Byakuya's face but couldn't do anything about it. The woman had treated him like dirt and Renji could've heard them having sex while walking past Byakuya's room later on. He had stayed outside the door, waiting. When Byakuya had stepped out, he had pulled him into his arms to console him and for once, he had let him. Rukia had called a taxi for the woman and almost thrown her out, she didn't stand for her brother's wife candidates any more than Renji did. The redhead had stayed with Byakuya that night, holding him close and trying to erase away his awful evening.

"You know you could have any man you wanted", he said to Byakuya who just hemmed sadly.

"Probably, but what's the point? It would only end in tears, just like we did" he replied, glancing at his former lover with a melancholic smile on his lips.

"You know what Renji", he continued, speaking now in a softer tone than before and looking up at the starry sky, "I don't know whether our relationship made me actually feel worse than before or is it just that I long for having someone special in my life, as they say." The redhead frowned at this statement, tilting his head to the side.

"What do you mean?" The other man shrugged.

"Since before you I didn't know what it was like being with someone _I _had chosen to be with, not someone my family had chosen _for_ me", he explained "and though at the time I thought it was the right thing to do, leave you, I have noticed that I have felt even more lonely than I did before. So I think maybe I would have been better off if I had never even met you." Byakuya looked at Renji, who didn't really know whether to be flattered or offended by the man's words. He hadn't known he had had such a deep impact on the man's life but being considered a mistake sounded quite bad. Then, for the first time in a long time, Byakuya flashed him a real, genuine smile that seemed to transform his usually stoic and cold features back into the man Renji once loved.

"But still, I'm glad I did." _This would be the perfect time for a kiss, _the redhead realized and for a second wondered if he should. But he didn't have to worry about it since Byakuya decided it for him, planting a light kiss on his lips.

It probably only lasted for a millisecond but for Renji it felt like the time had stopped. When Byakuya leaned away again, he was so taken aback that he didn't realize that his cigarette that burned through, now searing his fingers and he had to drop it on the street with a string of muttered curses. Byakuya seemed somehow amused by this, taking the last breaths of his own brand cigar and then stomping it carefully on the ground.

"I hope this little conversation satiated your needs, Abarai", he bemused to him while walking past back into the club. Renji staggered after him, still a bit dazed by this all.

"Oh, and in case you did not understand", the other man said glancing at him over his shoulder, "this all is strictly between you and me." The redhead nodded sheepishly, _no reason bothering to argue with him anyway._

"But so", he asked when they were at the club's doorstep "are you and Kisuke going to…" He let his voice trail off, believing Byakuya could take the hint. The man raised his eyebrows and hummed.

"Maybe" he replied, then looked at Renji "would that bother you?"

"No, no, no" the redhead quickly denied, waving his hands in front of him, "you just do what you do like, I was just wondering why the sudden change." Byakuya cocked his brow and seemed to think for a while, then just shrugged.

"I guess everyone deserves a second chance, wouldn't you think so?" Renji felt that he was now so out of his depth while trying to get something out of the man that he just gave up, nodding in agreement.

"Whatever you say, Byakuya, whatever you say."

"Good. And now will you please stop asking me questions whose answers you do not comprehend."

When they came back to their table, Ichigo was immediately all over Renji to find out what he had talked about with his ex-lover. Seeing the redhead's confused expression he frowned and as the man sat down next to him, he leaned in to his ear.

"So, what did you talk about?" Renji glanced over the table at Byakuya, who had just settled back beside Kisuke and glimpsed back at Renji with a warning in his eyes.

"Errrr, nothing really", the redhead replied, quickly snatching a random drink on the table and downing it quickly. _Still too sober for this kind of talk. _

"Nothing? You were there for ages" the youngster doubted but then he too felt Byakuya's icy stare on him and decided to leave the matter alone. _For now. _The speakers started blasting out a new song, something that sounded like the bastard child of nineties techno and modern jazz. Rangiku jumped up on her seat clapping her hands excitedly.

"Oh, I love this song! C'mon Shuuhei, dance with me", she demanded dragging the said man onto the dance floor with little protest. Orihime also seemed keen to go dancing again but Uryuu shook his head to her, making her pout her lips once more.

"Oh, don't be sad, Orihime- chan, I'll dance with you", Kisuke offered from the other side of the table and gracefully lead the girl onto the floor. Ichigo looked at Renji with his eyebrows raised, gesturing the wordless question to him. The redhead grinned and nodded, getting up from his seat again and following their other friends to the dance floor, which was now packed full with other people that had come to the club, gyrating against each other in the most unorthodox fashion.

"So you got hooked instantly, did you?" Renji muttered into Ichigo ear while trying to find an empty space on the floor. The young man smiled and grabbed his friend by the hand, twirling him smoothly around and then pressing him tightly against his body.

"Oh, so this is what you had in mind, you dirty boy", the redhead grinned and gave Ichigo a light headbutt before settling his hand on the youngster's hips and starting to move to the music. Around them other people were dancing the night away, the heat of bodies was almost tangible. Renji could feel his head starting to spin from the mixture of alcohol, cigarettes and the heat and he leaned heavier against Ichigo. He could feel the young man's breath on his neck and once again had to curse his own weakness when it came to him. He felt how Ichigo's hands slowly made their way along his body, sending a tingling sensation that travelled from his head to his toes. He knew he should have backed away from him and pushed his hands off him but right now it just felt too damn good. Renji was now so close to Ichigo he could smell the scent of his cologne and sweat, mixed with the smell of the cigarette smoke that still lingered on his own clothes and hair. He slid his hands under Ichigo's shirt, feeling the hot skin and smooth muscles under it. He heard how the youngster's breath hitched when he touched his bare skin but then he could feel how Ichigo moved his own hands to his front and glided them down to his groin to stroke his manhood. The redhead drew in a sharp breath between his teeth and closed his eyes, he knew what he should do. _But I want him so badly…_

"We're not supposed to do this", he heard Ichigo breath into his ear while his hand was still on his crotch, now touching him with more pressure and Renji could feel how his erection was starting to answer to the touch. _Fuck me sideways and all the way to the carpark, I can't take it anymore! _Renji lunged at Ichigo's mouth, pressing a hot kiss on his lips. He felt how the young man's other hand instantly grabbed the back of his head, twirling his fingers around his braided hair. The redhead's hands advanced quickly on his body, tracing his muscles up to his chest and then back to the waist of his jeans. He pulled Ichigo against his body, pressing his half-hard cock against his groin and gaining a soft moan from the youngster. _Fuck, this is so fucking stupid and I'm gonna regret later. _Ichigo parted his lips and let Renji's tongue slid in his mouth, tasting the alcohol and smoke. Even in his drunken state he tried to convince himself to let go of Ichigo and get home as soon as possible. He pulled his lips away, gasping for breath and stared at Ichigo's face in the flashing of the strobe lights and once again, that obnoxiously orange hair changed into clear blue, or maybe it was just the lights. He too was panting, hands still tightly on Renji and his eyes were glazed by lust and alcohol. The redhead groaned and finally managed to tore his hands off him, taking a few steps back so create distance between. Ichigo looked at him with confusion and tried to grab him again but the redhead slapped his hands away, shaking his head.

"Not here, not now", he muttered and quickly ran to the men's room, leaving Ichigo stranded in the middle of the dance floor.

Dashing into the men's room, Renji stumbled to the sink, turned on the cold water and splashed in on his face, trying to calm himself down. He took in a few deep breaths, all the while hoping that Ichigo wouldn't follow him. _Too much too soon, you idiot! _He smacked himself on the forehead couple of times, earning strange looks from the man that just left the men's room. He leaned his head against the mirror that was above the sink and then took a good look at himself. His face was flushed, pupils dilated and strands of red hair had escaped his once so neat braid. His scarf was tilted so he untied it, shoved it in his pocket and combed open his mane, tussling it with his fingers to ease the heat that emanated from his scalp. He was sweating but not just from the dancing and the hotness of the club. Renji glanced down at his groin and could luckily feel how his erection was starting to pass. _Great, now if I could just sneak home, get a nice cold shower and some sweet sleep, I'd be a happy and sane man. _Suddenly he heard a loud thump behind him from one of the cubicles, then a giggle and some muffled whispers and moans. _Seems that someone's getting action tonight, _he hemmed to himself while running his hand through his hair that was now wavy after the braid. _I look like some goddamn mermaid. _

"Oi, Yumi", he heard a voice moan behind him and spun around. _Oh hell no, they didn't! _He stomped to the cubicle and knocked on the door, hearing now a sudden frozen silence.

"Yumichika, what the hell are you doing there?" He heard a relieved sigh and again some muttering.

"Thank God it was just you Renji", his friend's voice rang "we thought it was the bouncer coming to throw us out."

"Again!" chimed in Ikkaku's voice and the pair broke into a string of giggles. Renji sighed and rubbed his face with his hand.

"Now, you two stop whatever it is you're doing and get out of there. Seriously, two grown men…" He heard them mutter between themselves again and then the sound of pants being drawn up and belts being tightened.

"Alright Renji, keep your pants on", Yumichika giggled behind the door. _That's the plan, _the redhead thought to himself and stepped back when the lock was opened and his two flushed friends stepped out of the cubicle.

"Sorry about that, we just couldn't contain ourselves anymore", the graceful man apologized and stroked his partners head gently.

"Nah, it's okay, that seems to be some kind of a trend here tonight", Renji muttered and scratched the back of his head.

"Would you guys be ready to leave, I'm getting kinda tired", he said to the pair, who looked more than happy about the idea of getting some real privacy.

"Yeah, sure, I'll just go round and tell the others, see you at the door", Yumichika chirped and strutted out of the men's room.

Ikkaku glanced at Renji and raised an eyebrow to him.

"What's up with you tonight, you usually don't wanna leave until the bouncer throws you out?" The redhead just shook his head, rubbing the tight spot on his shoulder that Ichigo has massaged earlier that night.

"Is it something to do with Ichigo?" the bald man asked and he could see from Renji's reaction that he had hit a sore spot. He grinned to his friend and patted him on the back.

"Don't worry, it'll all come round somehow", he said with the authority that alcohol tends to give people who've had enough of it. The redhead hemmed and shook his head again.

"Let's just go home, I need a cold shower." Ikkaku laughed and walked out of the men's room, keeping the door open for Renji after him.

"Is is that bad?"

"Worse."

The two quickly made their way around the dance floor and Renji tried to catch a glimpse of orange hair but saw none. _Maybe he went out too._ He wasn't really sure did he want to see the youngster or not, it would be easier to just slip out and explain everything later but then again…Once they got out, Byakuya and Rukia were already there with Chad who acknowledged their presence with a silent nod. Byakuya was talking to his cell phone again, probably calling a taxi. Renji felt like he could use some fresh air and decided to walk home.

"Listen guys", he started, grabbing everyone's attention more or less, "I've had a great night and it was great seeing you all but I think I need some sleep now, so I'll call you again tomorrow, we'll have lunch, or brunch or something, alright?" He got an affirmative muttering as a response and Rukia walked to him to hug him tightly before he left.

"Take care of yourself, promise me?" she said looking at him straight in the eye. Renji patted her on the top of the head and smiled warmly.

"You know I will." Then he waved the rest of his friends' goodbye and started to walk back to his apartment.

The night air felt cool and nice against his skin, fanning his hair around him while he walked down the empty streets. The scene reminded him of the previous night when he had wandered to Grimmjow's place and he shook his head to himself.

"You stupid, love struck ape" he hemmed and his hand automatically reached into his pocket for the last cigarette of the packet. He lighted it and he felt a twinge of sadness, they had been kind of his last remaining link to Grimmjow. _Though I guess I won't be needing any links to him…Or at least I shouldn't. I should just get on with my life and get my act together so I could maybe one day be myself again and date the one guy who actually might really love me back. _The word made him hem again. _Love…what do I know about love, with my less than perfect relationships with more than eccentric men? I thought I loved Grimmjow but I'm not so sure anymore…_Byakuya's words came into Renji's mind while he walked and wondered about his life. _Did I love him? Or was it just puppylove? Kinda hard to know if the heart- wrenching misery has always been because I've loved them so much or just because my every relationship has ended rather badly…Maybe its bit of both. Well, Grimmjow obviously didn't love me, Byakuya probably didn't let himself have such feelings for me, or so I thought at the time, and well Kisuke…He probably loves every boy he sees, at least for a moment. So maybe if Ichigo could love me after all the shit I make him go through, if he can bear with my fucked up head…Maybe that would finally be something._

Renji's thoughts were disturbed by the sound of running steps coming behind him. He instantly felt his muscles tense up, living on the streets had trained him to always be wary. His tattoos and red hair were more than a good reason for some thugs to come and try their luck with him so he was used to getting into fights. _He thinks he can just run around and mug me, he's got another thing coming. _

"Oi Renji" a way too familiar voice called behind him, "there you are I thought I'd lost you." The redhead spun around to see Ichigo jogging towards him. _Just like last night…What is this, my own knight in a shining armour? _The image made Renji smirk and he stopped to wait to youngster. He legged beside Renji and stopped, leaning his hands on his knees to steady his breath.

"Aaah, running while this drunk isn't such a good idea", he smirked looking up at the redhead. When he finally caught his breath, he straightened up and looked at his friend with now more serious look in his eyes.

"Why did you run away like that?" Renji shuffled awkwardly in his place and tried to think up an excuse.

"And don't lie to me, I know when you lie, you're horrible at it", the youngster grinned at him. The redhead shrugged his shoulders.

"I just thought it was a mistake so I did what my drunken brain told me", he tried to smile apologetically to his friend but he didn't seem that angry. He just waved his hand and let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, I know, it was pretty damn stupid", he replied, ruffling his orange hair.

"You're going home?" he asked and Renji nodded, stumping his final cigarette.

"Come to my place, please?" The redhead first just chuckled but then looked into Ichigo's soft puppy eyes and groaned inwardly. _Damn him and those eyes, they'll be the end of me. _

"I promise I won't touch you or anything", the youngster smirked again, now fiddling with the dog tags that hang around his neck.

Finally Renji nodded.

"Alright, but just because I don't wanna wake up amidst all the crap I still got in my place." Ichigo grinned and patted him on the shoulder.

"Whatever you say Renji", he replied and started to walk in the direction of his apartment. After strolling a while on the streets in silence, Renji took a look around and frowned.

"We're pretty damn far from your place, aren't we?" Ichigo glanced at the buildings they were passing by and nodded.

"Well yeah, you could say that. But I know a shortcut if you're too tired."

"Naah, I'm fine. Plus I could use the fresh air. "

"Right. " The next few minutes went in silence again, until Ichigo opened his mouth.

"Wanna tell me what's gonna happen next?" Renji hummed and looked at his friend, raising an eyebrow.

"With what?" Ichigo gestured between them with his hand.

"With you and me, baka. I'd just like to know if you really meant what you said earlier today, about caring about me and waiting and stuff. Because you're kinda giving me mixed signals right now." He grinned again but this time there was a desperate look in his eyes that made Renji want to hold him tight and tell him what he wanted to hear.

"Yeah, I did mean it all, really. And I would like to be with you right now but I don't want to compare you to Grimmjow and if I'm with you now, I would. I'm just too raw right now, I need some space and time for myself, to clear my head. But I do want you, all of you", he waved his hand towards the youngster, making him blush slightly.

"But if we wanna do this right, it's gonna have to wait." Ichigo didn't say anything but nodded, exhaling deeply. Then he looked at Renji again, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Does that satisfy you?" the redhead asked. The young man hemmed.

"Well not exactly but I can deal with it. For now."

Another silence fell upon them as they continued their stroll towards home. Ichigo suddenly chuckled, making Renji tilt his head to the side.

"What's so funny?" The youngster smirked at him and nudged him in the elbow with his fist.

"Where did you learn all that 'time and space' –stuff, reading too many bad novels have you?" The redhead rolled his eyes to him.

"It's what people say when they're all messed up from previous bad relationships and need some time to get their act together, it doesn't happen in a flash, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, I believe you", Ichigo said but his tone of voice made it clear he didn't mean it. Renji gave him a light smack on the back of the head.

"Oi, what was that for?"

"For not respecting your elders, young man. You should know better." Ichigo scoffed but still felt a small smile creeping up to his face. This was the Renji he knew. _Hope it won't take too long for him to straighten up, but I guess if I have waited for this long I can wait a bit longer. _


	15. It Shouldn't Bother Me But It Does

**Sorry guys for the long pause in updates, I've been quite busy, then I had no inspiration to write at all but now I feel like I'm getting my groove on again. And I stopped hating this fic, like always with bigger projects there comes a time when it all seems shit and you just wanna fuck it all. But one has to persevere and here's the result. Hope you like it.**

**It Shouldn't Bother Me But It Does**

"Goddamn rain", Renji huffed to himself while trying to pull the hood of his shirt over his head. It had been an exceptionally long day at the garage, especially since in a moment of regret he had given Shuuhei rest of the week off as a thank you for the last few weeks that he had taken care of the garage himself. Plus he had decided that working like hell was the only thing that would get him back on track with his life once more. He had been pounding his frustrations and emotions into the cars' engines for the past few weeks and had always been so exhausted that he had usually just slumped on the couch in the office and slept there, not bothering to walk home. But tonight he was starting to feel so dirty and sweaty that he couldn't bear himself anymore without a nice refreshing shower. _And some real food for a change, I'm getting sick of cup noodles and soup, _he thought while fantasizing about a good steak.

He was just pulling down the garage door and locking it for the night when he heard a car pull over at the street behind him. He didn't first think much of it, there were plenty of people living on the block who parked their cars on the street. Only when he heard the faint sound of a car window being rolled down he raised an eyebrow to himself. _Probably some young punk trying to stir things up, seeing a guy with long hair…Idiot._

"Oi, you redheaded bastard!" a voice shouted from the car. Renji sighed to himself but then frowned, the voice sounded oddly familiar. He slowly straightened himself and turned around to see who was shouting at him. The first thing he saw was an old Cadillac with a black panther painted on the bonnet and blue flames on the sides. He felt his knees jerk under him and his heartbeat getting faster. _Grimmjow...But wait, it wasn't Grimmjow's voice so who…_Renji reluctantly turned his eyes from the car to the driver, who was smirking at him from the open window. Renji immediately recognized the man, it was hard to forget a man who was over two meters tall, wore an eye patch and had the creepiest grin he had ever seen.

"Nnoitra", Renji snarled from between his teeth. He hadn't thought the man would have the guts to show his face around here anymore. Renji stomped to the car and grabbed the man by the collar.

"What the hell are you doing here" he demanded, glaring at the man and tightening his grip on him. The bastard didn't seem shaken, just chuckled at Renji's antics and tapped his lanky fingers against the steering wheel.

"Oh, don't be like that, pretty boy. Grimmjow just wants his car fixed and it seems you're the only one he allows to touch it. So now, if you wouldn't mind", Nnoitra snapped his head off from Renji's grip and slouched back on his seat. Only now Renji noticed the other man sitting on the passenger's seat, another old acquaintance.

"Ulquiorra", the redhead muttered, making the said man slowly turn his head towards him, his huge green eyes boring into Renji.

"I'm just here because I was forced to. I have no interest in this wreck of a vehicle or your history with that lazy idiot Grimmjow so let's get this business over with." Saying this, the man got up from the car, slamming the door shut and walking into the garage from the side door. Renji stared at the man with his mouth open, still not fully comprehending what was happening. He was snapped back into reality with Nnoitra snapping his fingers in front of Renji's face.

"Oi, I'm still here!" the man barked at him and gestured to the garage's door, "just open the door so I can drive this piece of shit inside."

For a moment Renji thought about throwing them both out and kicking their asses to the ends of the Earth but then decided not to. He was tired, filthy and just wanted to get home and just letting them leave the car here was the quickest way to get rid of them.

"Fine", he huffed and stomped back to the garage door and wrenched it open. Inside Ulquiorra was wandering about the hall, peering into the cars' engine and poking stuff on the floor with the point of his shoe. When Renji walked in, he just shoved his hands into his pockets and stared at the ceiling. While Nnoitra slowly drove the car into the garage, Ulquiorra opened his mouth.

"How is the woman doing?" Renji glanced at him over his shoulder, his whole back tensing up.

"She's fine." After a couple of seconds silence he added: "No thanks to you, though." He could almost feel how the other man's nerves ticked at the remark and smirked inwardly. _Serves him right, the bastard. _

"You know I had nothing to do with it", he retorted and now his usually steady voice had a sharp edge to it.

"I don't care, you could have done something but you're too scared or too weak or whatever excuse you wanna use this time. I don't care."

Nnoitra had managed to park the old Cadillac and stepped out of it, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Alright, Grimmjow will pick it up by Friday so have it ready", the tall man uttered while craning his neck to the side, making it crack loudly. He rubbed his neck with other hand, cursing to himself.

"Goddamn wreck, I can barely fit in it", he muttered while walking out of the garage, followed by Ulquiorra who threw one more glare at Renji before out into the rain. The redhead stood in his place for a few minutes, digesting this new turn of events. He then glanced at the car, he could almost hear the growl of the panther painted on the bonnet. For a second he thought about demolishing it, maybe driving it to the car scrap yard but then shook his head. Grimmjow loved that car, he couldn't be so cruel to him. Renji let out a tired sigh and rubbed his eyes. _I just wanna go home_, he thought while walking out of the garage, locking the doors behind him and started the walk home.

The rain seemed to be getting heavier by the second and Renji decided to run the last half of a mile to his flat. His clothes were getting heavy from the rain and his hair stuck to his head and cheeks. _I wasn't in this dire need of a shower, was I? _he mused while jogging along the sidewalk. There was no one else outside, probably all sane people were staying in at this kind of weather. He finally made it to his flat and fiddled for his keys from his wet pockets. The lock rattled and he stumbled in, flicking the lights on and slamming to door shut with his foot. He started to strip off his wet clothes and scattered on the floor while walking to the bathroom. He heard a muffled clonk when his jeans dropped to the floor and remembered that his cellphone had been in his pocket with the sound off. For a moment he thought about checking it but then chose to do it later, nothing could be so important that it couldn't wait for the ten minutes he would be in the shower.

In the shower Renji lathered his body generously with soap, trying to scrub off all the oil stains on his hands and face. His hair seemed to have also taken some damage from being somewhat neglected for the past few days and felt bristly in his hands. _Need to buy some more conditioner or whatever that stuff was that Yumichika gave me, _he thought while scrubbing his scalp. He could feel his muscles starting to loosen up with the hot water pouring down on him and rolled his shoulders backwards, feeling the muscles relax. He enjoyed the hot shower for a few more minutes and then reluctantly turned to water off and stepped out, grabbing a clean towel to dry himself. He walked back into the living room, fluffing his hair so it wouldn't drip water to the floor and glanced at himself from the mirror on the wall. _There, all fresh and clean once more, now some food._

While going through his fridge and cupboards to find something to eat, Renji felt thoughts of Grimmjow's car penetrate in his mind. After his night out with his friends he had been blissfully busy with work that he hadn't had time to think about his ex or anyone else. Renji's hand stopped in midair while reaching for a packet of noodles from the cupboard. _Ichigo…_A small smile appeared on his lips while thinking about the hot headed youngster. They hadn't have time to see each other after he spent the night at his place, they had just loitered around the flat, heads hammering and avoiding direct sunlight. Ichigo had said he would be quite busy for the next few weeks with his studies, the start of a new semester was always a craze. But he had mentioned something about arranging a movie night or something. _Was it is this week or the next? _he mused to himself while rolling the noodles in his hand. Then he remembered his cellphone, dropped the noodles on the counter and walked back to his jeans, fumbling his phone from the pocket. It was flashing a signal light and Renji saw that he had gotten two new messages. _Shit, I'm still so useless with this thing, _he cursed inwardly while clicking open the first message. It was from Orihime, asking if she could drop by at the weekend. Apparently it was something important. Renji quickly typed back an answer to her, saying she could drop by at any time and then opened the second message.

This one was from Ichigo and Renji instantly felt a warm and fuzzy feeling traveling from his stomach to his chest. _What a fucking walking cliché I am, _he chuckled while reading the text. It read like so: _"Oi you busy bastard, can you come over tonight? I can't almost remember what you look like anymore ;D" _The redhead's smile widened into a grin and he tapped an answer to Ichigo. _"See you in a dash, Berry". _Having sent the message Renji quickly scuttled to his bedroom to get some clean clothes. After managing to find a clean shirt and jeans, he hopped around the apartment while trying to get into his clothes, holding a hair band between his teeth and trying to remember where he had thrown his keys. _But it's still raining, how can I get there without drenching again? Does my car have any gas in it? _Renji usually didn't drive his beloved car, it was more of a memento than a mode of transport to him. He did keep it in perfect running condition but the traffic could sometimes be so crazy he didn't want to risk busting his cherished car. _But I guess this could be counted as a special occasion, _he mused while pulling his shirt over his head and combing his hair into its place. Renji hopped back into his bathroom to check his hair, which at the moment wasn't all that smooth and shiny. He quickly twirled it into a loose ponytail with almost half of it escaping the band, still trying to smooth it down with his fingers so he could look at least somewhat presentable. _That should do it, _he thought finally satisfied with the state of his mane and then started to look for his car keys. He found them in his leather jacket's pocket, pulled the jacket on and ran out of his apartment, heading for the basement where he kept his car.

Pulling open the heavy garage door with the rain still falling down on him, he instantly felt a proud smile forming onto his face when he saw the first glimpses of the shiny bonnet of his car. It was a marine blue Shelby GT500 with two white stripes going across the bonnet and the roof. Renji ran his fingers across the bonnet, stroking it gently and patting the roof.

"Oh baby, I've missed you" he murmured while caressing the car's smooth sides and opening the door, sliding himself to the driver's seat. He took his time to feel the shiny wooden interior and the wheel before starting the car, listening to the engine's low purr and smiling with an almost maniacally happy grin on his face. He slowly drove the car out of the garage into the street and started to make his way towards Ichigo's flat.

The weather wasn't the best for an evening drive but it was better than to get wet all over again. Renji could still feel his moist hair pressing against his neck and craned his head to the side to easy the ticklish feeling it gave him. He turned the radio on and immediately the car was filled with hard rock blasting from the speakers. Renji started to tap the steering wheel with his fingers, switching on the wipers to see past pouring water. Ichigo's flat wasn't really far, about a mile or so and soon enough he turned from the familiar street corner and slowly rolled the car to the side of the road, turning off the engine and getting out, locking the doors carefully before dashing inside the building. He wiped the raindrops off his face while climbing up the stairs and shrug his jacket to dry it. He leaped the final steps and lunged himself to Ichigo's door, knocking heavily on the wooden surface and then waiting for an answer, panting lightly. He could feel his palms sweating and clenched his hands into fists, hemming at his sudden coyness and jumpiness that was prompted by the sheer knowledge that Ichigo was behind that door. _God, since when I became this stricken by him? Well I guess it's only a good sign, even more with Grimmjow's car waiting for me at the garage…_

The door was swung open, waking Renji up from his musings before he had time to think about his new assignment further. Ichigo greeted him with a weird smile that didn't really reach his eyes. _He looks tired, _was Renji's first impression when the young man let him inside and his notion was strengthened when Ichigo stretched his arms over his head and yawned. He glanced at Renji over his shoulder, now with a more apologetic smile.

"Sorry Renji, it's been a long week" he said while lopping onto the couch, patting the seat next to him. Renji slouched next to him and looked at the young man.

"You look like shit" he remarked, raising his legs on the coffee table. Ichigo huffed and swatted him on the shoulder.

"Thanks a lot, ape." The young man tried to muffle another yawn into his hand and gained a raised eyebrow from the redhead. He uttered a small laugh, no one could raise their eyebrows quite like Renji, probably had something to do with the fact that his eyebrows were inked to his forehead and tonight he wasn't wearing a bandana that would cover the most of them. He reached out his hand to trace the tattoos with his index finger, making Renji frown even more.

"How did you come here so fast?" Ichigo murmured.

"I drove, baka" the redhead answered with a lazy grin. Now it was Ichigo's turn to look surprised, even he knew how rarely Renji dared to drive his own car.

"So you were in real hurry to see me then" he replied with a smug smile. Renji smiled back, winking seductively.

"You bet your sweet ass I was" he said, blowing a kiss to the younger man with a mock grin. Ichigo pretended to snatch the kiss from the air and smacked it to his cheek, chuckling softly. Renji shook his head, a low laugh rumbling in his chest while he wrapped his other arm around the youngster's shoulders, pulling him closer. His fingers ruffled the orange locks absently while his mind finally unwound, replaying the happenings of the day in his head. Ichigo leaned his head to his shoulder, closing his eyes and letting out a tired sigh.

"I'm sorry I'm such a bad host tonight", he mumbled "I haven't had a good night's sleep in a week or so, my studies are killing me…Plus Uryuu is a real pain in the ass, I bet next week he'll be whipping me to write all my essays on time."

"No sweat, Ichi, I've been busting my ass in the garage for the past weeks too but finally getting some work done just feels good for a change", Renji replied.

"Yeah, I thought so…Actually, I should've stayed at the dorm tonight and get some reading done but my brain seems to deny all information" the young man hemmed and shrugged "I guess there's a limit to how much you can intake for some time. So", Ichigo straightened himself up on the couch and turned to look at his friend, "I decided I could just come here to rest and see your ugly face for a change." The redhead scoffed and nudged Ichigo lightly on the shoulder.

"But how's the garage, anything interesting happening?" the young man asked while leaning back on the couch and placing his legs into Renji's lap. The redhead instantly started to lightly massage his friend's feet, feeling the muscles respond to his touch. For a moment he thought if he should not tell Ichigo about Grimmjow's car but then again, he didn't want to lie. _What if he comes to see me at the garage and sees the car, then I'll be in real trouble…Plus it's nothing I should keep a secret, is it?_

"Nnoitra and Ulquiorra came by to drop Grimmjow's car to be fixed by Friday" he said, trying to sound nonchalant. _Why wouldn't I be, it's just his car._ But Ichigo didn't seem to feel that way. He quickly raised himself up on the couch to a sitting position, not looking a bit tired anymore. His usual scowl came back to his face.

"And you let them in? What the hell, Renji?" he snapped, pulling his legs off the redhead's lap. Renji frowned at him.

"It's not a big deal, it's just his car."

"But why you, there are plenty of garages all over town, why does it have to be you?" The older man shrugged his shoulders.

"Nnoitra said I'm the only one he lets to touch his car. It's no big deal" he repeated, starting to feel annoyed with Ichigo's accusing stare. The young man seemed unable to voice out his thoughts and rubbed his temples as if the whole idea was giving him a headache.

"But how could you let those bastards in your garage, after what they did to Orihime?" he barked, rising up from the couch and starting to pace around the living room. Renji sighed in annoyance and crossed his arms behind his head.

"It's not like I really had a choice, Ichi, they just walked in when I was just leaving. I was too tired to start arguing with them and I'm too tired to argue about it with you" he replied, getting up from the couch and started to walk to the door. He could feel his head starting to hammer with frustration and anger and tiredness. He was almost at the door when he heard footsteps behind him and then felt Ichigo's hand landing on his shoulder. He turned around to face the young man who was looking sorry again.

"I'm sorry Renji, please don't leave." _Those goddamn puppy eyes again, _Renji mused to himself and could feel all resistance draining out of him. He sighed again and patted Ichigo on the cheek.

"It's alright, Ichi, I'm just tired and I haven't seen you in awhile so I don't wanna waste time with arguing."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry" Ichigo smiled and looked sorry again. His brown eyes twinkled again, begging Renji to stay.

"But you have to make this up for me", the redhead smirked, walking towards the kitchen, "like with a posh dinner."

"Candlelight supper, you mean?" the youngster chuckled, "I'm not sure my cookery skills are up to it but you could join me for dinner at home, Dad called me and wailed about not seeing his only son in weeks so he asked me to come for a dinner tonight. Yuzu will be cooking, so don't worry." Renji could already feel his mouth watering from the sheer thought, Yuzu's cooking was the best he'd ever had anywhere. He nodded quickly and stretched his hand to ruffle Ichigo's hair, and to wipe that puppy eyed look off his face before it took more effect on him.

"You got yourself a deal, mister. But first, let me have a look at you, I haven't seen you in weeks." Renji lowered his hand to Ichigo's neck and pulled him closer into a bearhug, knocking their foreheads together. For a few minutes they stood there, Ichigo chuckling and Renji grinning like an idiot, staring to each others' eyes and then uttering out laughs again before composing themselves with a deep exhale. Ichigo had wrapped his arms lazily around Renji's hips.

"I've missed you, ape" he murmured softly, not looking at Renji straight in the eye but staring at his feet. The redhead huffed and nudged his forehead to get the youngster raise his head up.

"I've missed you too, you baka" he replied once Ichigo had raised his gaze from the floor. Suddenly he felt his breath hitch and he licked his lips that had gone dry.

"I'd really like to kiss you", Ichigo whispered almost inaudibly, it was more of a breath than a sentence. Renji could feel a silly, giddy feeling in his head and a wide grin gracing his lips.

"I'd like that" he muttered back, feeling his heart beat go up again. But he could see that Ichigo was hesitating.

"What is it?" The young man shook his head a bit and looked strained.

"I'm just thinking about what you said few weeks ago…I just want to know if you're ready." The redhead stroked Ichigo's back affectionately and snuggled the tips of their noses together.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to get some much needed love from a cute boy like you" he smirked making the young man huff and smile, feeling the atmosphere relax.

Finally after bracing himself, Ichigo planted a soft kiss on Renji's waiting lips. The redhead's mouth moved almost in its own accord, responding to the kiss with more pressure and sliding his tongue slowly out to trace the younger man's cupid's bow. The tickling sensation made Ichigo let out a small giggle against the other's lips, opening his mouth and letting Renji's tongue entwine with his. The kiss deepened and Renji tightened his grip on the younger man's side, their chests bumping into each other. He could feel the heat of Ichigo's body and ran his hand up his neck into his mass of orange hair, massaging the back of his head while continuing to explore the youngster's mouth his tongue. He felt how the younger man's hands ran under his shirt and stroked his back, tracing the tattoos inked in his shoulder blades. Renji felt shivers going down his spine from the light caresses and could once again feel his arousal starting to respond to the young man's warm body pressed against him, mouth gently nibbling his lips and hands roaming his body. Ichigo pulled his head back, breaking the kiss but then instantly planted a trail of kisses from Renji's lips along his jawline down to his neck, sucking lightly on the spot where his tribal tattoo began. The redhead drew in breath between his teeth, making a hissing sound and gently pushed the youngster's head back. He smiled at Ichigo's confused face and placed a light peck on his forehead.

"That will have to wait, babe" he murmured softly while his hand still stroked the youngster's hair. Ichigo pursed his lips to him but pulled away, pouting so cutely that Renji almost took his words back.

"Okay, I understand….You prude", the young man smirked, earning a smack to the back of his head from the redhead. Rubbing the sore spot but with a even wider smile on his face he nodded towards the door.

"If that was all, we could just head out for that dinner I promised you." Renji's stomach let out a loud growl which was a response enough and they headed out. Ichigo snatched his coat and keys with him and locked the door behind them, rattling the handle just to be sure.

It was still raining heavily and the duo ran quickly to the car once they had made their way down the stairs, once again racing each other and almost tumbling down the last few steps. Ichigo ran his hand along the wooden dashboard , admiring the handiwork of it. This was one of the few times he actually got to ride in Renji's car but they had always been quite special. Like on his birthday last year, Renji had took him for a ride in the middle of the night to look at the starry skies outside the city's polluted atmosphere. They had continued driving around the countryside and even had went skinny dipping in a small lake they had come across somewhere near the mountains. The car's engine purred under the bonnet like a dream as they drove to Ichigo's childhood home. Renji let the car roll slowly to the front of the house, turning off the engine and glancing at his friend who was staring out of the window at his former home.

"You ready to face the music?" he asked. The fights between Ichigo and his father were notorious among their group of friends and were one reason why he had decided to get a place of his own instead of staying home while studying for his medical degree.

"Yeah yeah, just preparing for getting knee'd in the face" he groaned while undoing his seatbelt and climbing out of the car. They made their way to the front door, trying not to drench themselves and Ichigo opened the door, hollering his greetings to make their presence known.

"Evening all" he barely made out before a flash of black and white ran to the hall, swirling around towards Ichigo who let out a deep frustrated sigh and aimed a punch towards the whirlwind, knocking it off its feet to the floor with a loud cry. Once it was down on the floor, it could be recognized as Ichigo's eccentric father, Isshin Kurosaki. He was holding his chin and moaning loudly.

"The prodigal son returns and this is how he greets his own father" he sobbed but when he noticed he was getting any sympathy and that his son had brought company, he bounced back onto his feet and greeted them with a beaming smile. He was still wearing his white coat that he wore while on clinic duty and an obnoxiously bright coloured Hawaii- shirt under it.

"Abarai- san, what a pleasure to see you enter our humble home!" he greeted Renji, while throwing a glare at Ichigo who was rolling his eyes. His mocking was disrupted by his father's elbow that hit him swiftly in the guts, making him gasp for breath. Renji observed this strange change of pleasantries biting his lip so he wouldn't laugh, both father and son were so committed to beating the crap out of each other they'd probably never be able to face one another without exchanging a few punches or kicks just for the hell of it. _And those scowls are almost identical, now I can see where Berry gets it…_

Further violence was prevented by Yuzu, who had heard the ruckus and come to the hall, still wearing her apron around her waist and holding a spatula in her hand. Seeing his brother and father at it once again she first looked worried but then she noticed Renji looming in the back and waved her free hand happily to greet him.

"Hiya Renji- san! Will you join us for dinner?" The redhead marched past the still bickering Ichigo and Isshin to pull Yuzu into a tight bearhug, lifting her small body up from the ground.

"Sure thing, Yuzu" he replied, lowering the girl back to her feet. During the years he had known Ichigo he had become quite close to his little sisters and was almost like an older brother to them. Especially Karin enjoyed Renji's company, he had always time to practice soccer with her and Yuzu loved having another brother, she was always making sure that Renji ate enough and packed him a extra portion to take home with him.

"How's school? Are you doing your homework properly?" he asked, slipping quickly into the role of a concerned older brother. Yuzu uttered a small laugh.

"Of course I am, as always. How have you been, Orihime- chan told me that you had some troubles." Renji could see from the girl's eyes that she already knew how he'd been but was too polite to say it straight. _Sweet little Yuzu. _He planted his hand on her head, ruffling her blonde locks.

"I'm just fine now, Yuzu. Even better when I get some food. Let's leave those two to their own devices, shall we?" Yuzu nodded in agreement and they quietly left the father and son to solve their differences on their own.

In the small kitchen Karin was already sitting at the table, skimming through a sports magazine. When she heard them enter the kitchen she raised her eyes from the magazine and noticing Renji, flashed a rare smile.

"Hello Renji-san. Out of food again?" she asked cheekily.

"Karin- chan, don't be mean" Yuzu scolded her twin sister and walked over the stove to check on their dinner. Renji slouched down on the table across Karin, crossing his arms on his chest.

"How's the soccer going, your team any good?" Karin let out a small sigh and leaned back on her chair, slumping her other arm over the chair's back.

"Kinda, some guys leave a bit to be hoped for for but I guess with more training they could get better" she replied, ruffling her black hair. Then her eyes suddenly brightened as if she had just remembered something.

"But yeah, I just met some new guy who's an absolute genius! I've never seen anyone play so well for his age" Karin chattered excitedly, "he's trying to be modest or something, saying he doesn't play for real but I'll talk him over it." She crossed her arms like Renji, looking quite pleased with herself and he could almost hear how her brain ticked when she thought about some cunning plan to change this poor boy's mind. She frowned and continued:

"But he's a weird kid, I've never seen him at school or anywhere, I'd definitely remember him. He's got this odd white hair and huge green eyes, he seems like a real loner too, always hanging alone in the park at strange times really late at night when I leave from the practice. But anyway, he seems cool."

Renji wiggled his eyebrows to Karin, he had never heard her talk about a boy like this.

"Sounds like someone has a crush on this strange boy", he grinned at the girl, making her blush fiercily. She shook her head.

"It's not like that, I couldn't care less about him if he couldn't play! That's all!" She scowled at Renji, looking almost scarily like Ichigo.

"You grown-ups are stupid, as if a girl and a boy couldn't be just friends. I thought you should know Renji" she remarked, cocking an eyebrow to him.

"What do you mean by that?" The girl huffed out a breath, she didn't suffer fools gladly and one didn't have to do much to be listed as a fool in Karin's books.

"Being gay, I mean. You have loads of lady friends who are just friends" she explained, smirking victoriously at the redhead.

"Ah, but since I'm gay I don't have any possible attraction towards them so it's totally different from your situation."

"So you mean you could fall for any guy you know?"

"Well, not exactly…" Renji let his sentence trail off, this maybe wasn't the best time to tell Ichigo's sisters about their possible relationship. Luckily, the said young man finally made it to the kitchen, limping his right leg and followed by his father who sported a black eye. They sat on the table, still scowling at each other but not saying a word.

The rest of the evening went on relatively well, ignoring the small food fight between Ichigo and his father and that moment when Ichigo managed to broke Isshin's chair with a missed kick. Yuzu, Karin and Renji politely ignored them and chatted about the girls' schoolwork and he entertained them by telling some amusing stories about Ichigo, who protested by throwing a lump of rice on his head. After having thanked Yuzu for the dinner and promising to come by more often, Renji and Ichigo left, the latter's father still jumping around and asking stupid personal questions from his son, making him blush and punch him for goodbye. The rain had stopped when they walked to the car and the moon lit up the evening sky. Ichigo craned his head up to spot some star constellations, pointing them out to Renji.

"You do know that some of those starts could have actually already blown up by the time their light is seen here" the redhead remarked smartly while climbing onto the driver's seat.

"Yeah well actually stars don't "blow up", their core cools down while the outer parts get hotter, then if it's about the size of the Sun, the star turns into a white dwarf" Ichigo explained buckling his seatbelt. Renji rolled his eyes to him and started the car.

"Isn't that a bit insensitive, shouldn't they be called while little people or something?"

"Haa haa, very funny, as always" the young man replied and nudged him on the shoulder.

Renji drove them back to Ichigo's flat, stopping the car on the street and put on the handbreak with the engine still running.

"You're not coming back up?" the youngster asked him with his hand on the door handle. Renji shook his head and yawned.

"Not tonight, I've gotta rise early to fix that Grimmjow's car by Friday, I still have no idea what's the problem with it." Ichigo frowned at his words but decided to say no more, it would be a pointless argument.

"But I'll see you at the weekend?" he asked hopefully while opening the car door. The redhead flashed him a smile and leaned closer to plant a kiss on the young man's forehead.

"The I'll be all yours."

"Can't wait" Ichigo replied with a smile and got up from the car.

"Sweet dreams" Renji bid him before driving off, seeing Ichigo stand on the sidewalk for a while before walking up to his flat.

Driving back to his apartment and already thinking about the work load waiting for him tomorrow made Renji feel anxious. Earlier he had been too tired to really take in the knowledge that it was actually Grimmjow's car that he had to fix but now he realized it and the fact that he would come pick it up himself. _I wonder why he didn't then bring it himself, usually he never lets anyone else drive it, _Renji pondered while tapping the steering wheel with his fingers. _Especially Nnoitra, that bastard isn't the best driver ever. Maybe he thought I'd cause a scene again if he showed up unexpectantly or that if I wasn't there Shuuhei would've thrown him out…I don't know, does it really matter? _Renji tried to clear his head off his blue haired ex but the image of him and his car kept popping up in his head. _And I was doing so well, goddamnit, _he cursed mentally and slammed the dashboard with his palm. _Now I can't think about anything else than him and his damned car that lurks in the garage…But it's just a few days, I just hope it's not so wrecked I have to spend all my time with it…I have other things to do, you know…_

Groaning in frustration Renji bumped his head on the steering wheel. _That's my goodnight's sleep gone for sure. Just as well might drive to the garage and start on that bloody car already, then it's done and I can ignore it at my leisure. Yeah, sounds decent. _He quickly turned the car from the next corner to take a shortcut to his garage, not feeling tired at all anymore. He could feel his hands itching to get to work, mostly just to get it done but also a little from the joy of working with the car itself, Grimmjow's Cadillac was one of his all time favourites. He had never drove it but just sitting on the passenger's seat was a treat enough. It was still weird that Grimmjow would bring his car to him, he usually knew how to fix it himself. _Probably just too busy smashing people's heads in to bother with it, _he huffed to himself while parking the car on the street close to his garage. He rattled the keys in his hand while walking to the door, opened the lock and stepped inside the dark hall. He flicked on the lights, illuminating the black vehicle that was looming in the back. Renji could feel his palms sweating just from the sight of the car that was so tightly connected to his ex. _But I could take this as a some sort of retribution for all that we had, it might even help me get over him once and for al. I'd have to face him someday, eventually._

He walked over to the car and slid his hand across its side. Despite all the feelings it evoked in him, he couldn't help but to admire its beauty. Grimmjow had kept it in pristine shape. Renji opened the door on the driver's side to take the keys but then his eyes spotted something odd on the passenger's seat. There was a dark stain on the leather seat, like some dried liquid. He reached in further inside the car and noticed similar stains on the dashboard as well. _What the hell is that, it almost looks like…_Then it hit him. _It looks like blood. _One almost couldn't mistake the colour of dried blood, it become rusty brown instead of staying red but now he could even feel the faint smell of blood in the car. _Jesus Christ, what the hell has happened here? _Then Renji noticed another scary thing about the car. On the passenger's side's door there were six small holes. He backed up from the car and could feel his pulse start racing again. _Are those bullet holes?_


	16. You Shock Me To The Core

**Bit shorter chapter this time but the next one is already in the making so don't worry, I'll probably manage to update during the next week. **

**What did you think of the cliffhanger last time? Hahaa, maybe I'll fool you into thinking that I've planned this all along (which I of course have). Writing has eased massively, thanks to everyone who reviewed and favorited, you guys keep me going. Everyone has been awfully nice, I thought someone would've hated me by now but I guess the internet is only full of nice, shiny and happy people. And now that I've said that, there'll be no end to flames :D Hope not. Enjoy the chapter!**

**You Shock Me To The Core**

"I can't comprehend why I have to accompany you again to that god awful place" Ulquiorra protested while he walked beside Grimmjow to the garage to pick up his car. The other man huffed and ran his hand through his thick mob of hair. He sported a still redden scar on his forehead and his left hand was bandaged, as was his whole upper body but it was now covered by his black shirt.

"I can't drive yet, you retard. And I don't want Nnoitra stirring anymore shit up than he already has. Besides I have no idea if Renji has even fixed my car or just demolished it so I need you to stop me from killing someone."

"Tsk, of course I have to be the one to save your hide. Again" the raven-haired man remarked glancing irritatingly at Grimmjow who was rubbing his bandaged chest with his fist, "I thought I'd done enough when I dragged you to the hospital but it seems that I've become your babysitter. " The taller man glared at him but said nothing, just sped up his steps, forcing Ulquiorra to jog to keep up with his longer strides. The garage was not far away anymore but still enough to make Ulquiorra sweat if he would keep up with this pace. The thought of causing any, no matter how small or stupid inconvenience to the green-eyed emo made Grimmjow hem to himself cynically. This week had been bad enough without having to ask the condescending prick to help him out, again as he had said. Grimmjow didn't show it, but his arm hurt like hell and his whole torso ached with every step he took, now even more as he strutted faster just to annoy Ulquiorra. _The lengths I go to just to piss him off, he ought to thank me for my dedication._

He could hear the smaller man's breath starting to huff and grinned to himself, looking over his shoulder just to flash Ulquiorra his trademark shit-eating grin. He had to clench his back teeth together to avoid grunting from the pain he was in but it was worth it anyway.

"You can't keep up with me even when I've just risen from the dead? Quite pathetic, Ulquiorra" he barked at him, earning a death glare.

"I'm beginning to think I should've just left you for dead, would've spared me from the nuisance of killing you when you finally manage to annoy me too much." The taller man cackled, speeding up his steps just a little more.

"Aizen would've have killed you for leaving me there to die, I'm way too important to be lost that way."

"Really? I'm beginning to think that he has fed up with you and actually arranged the whole thing just to get rid of you without getting his own hands dirty in the process." Grimmjow stopped for just a second, then continued, now almost running forward. Ulquiorra rolled his eyes while running after the muscular brute.

In the garage not few blocks away Renji was having a coffee break with Orihime, who had popped in to say hello, bringing with her an arrangement of muffins and doughnuts from her cafeteria. Renji was stuffing his face with the delights as Orihime giggled at his huge appetite that even matched her own. Usually they would've had something of an eating contest between them but today she seemed reluctant to eat anything, she hadn't even touched her coffee that Renji had made, she just swirled the cup around in her hand. Her eyes scanned around the small office space that was located in the back of the garage. The cabinets were spilling with paperwork, though Shuuhei was making an effort to tidy up the place. There were random tools scattered on the office desk that dominated the small room and oily rags filled the paperbasket. Dirty coffee mugs were placed around the office and Renji had picked two of the cleanest ones to pour their coffees into. He had flashed Orihime an apologetic smile when he had opened the office door but she had just waved her hand, saying it didn't bother her. The room smelled of motor oil, coffee and Renji's cologne. _Smells like when you're riding on a motorbike to the sunset, pressing your face against the driver's leather jacket and smelling the mix of leather, cigarette smoke and musk, feeling the wind in your hair and hearing the peeps of the alien robots coming up behind you..._

Orihime shook her head and smiled down to her cup of coffee with the mental image of escaping hordes of alien invaders with Renji, riding on a Harley Davidson. _Silly me, should just stick to the point. It's important. _

"Hey Orihime, are you alright?" She snapped her head back up, her hair flipping around her and looked at Renji who had tilted his head to the side, looking a bit worried, "you're awfully quiet today, that's not like you." The girl let out a small laugh and strained a smile for him. This hadn't been her intention, coming here looking sad and depressed. She had instantly noticed Grimmjow's car in the garage and frowned at Renji, but he had just shrugged his shoulders. _"I'll explain later." _She hadn't asked more about it, prying was the last thing she wanted to do today. _Though if Yoruichi-san or Rangiku-san were here they'd probably squeeze out every last word out of him, there's not 'later' for them. _Orihime could recall the treatment she had received from those two strong-willed women back in the time of her accident. Gruelling as it might have been, it had been for the good. _Without them I don't think I'd dare to leave my house alone. _

"Didn't you have something you wanted to talk about?" Orihime nodded and placed her untouched coffee on the desk.

"Yeah, I did. I...I just don't know where to begin, really, I know it's kinda silly and all..." Her speech was interrupted by a loud clang and a string of curses from the garage that made Renji bolt of his seat and ran out of the office, muttering a quick "hold that thought" to Orihime while storming out. The girl quickly followed suit, already guessing who the source of the noise was.

In the garage Grimmjow was leaning on the bonnet of his beloved car, holding his left foot and muttering curses under his breath. Ulquiorra was standing next to him, lecturing about the importance of watching where you were going and not just randomly running around in a garage filled with metal and oil on the floor. Grimmjow huffed something to him between obscenities and almost didn't notice Renji standing at the office door, instinctively clenching his hands into fists and exhaling deeply before stomping in front of his ex. Ulquiorra glanced at him and then leaned his arm against Grimmjow's car. _This should be interesting._

"Can I help you gentlemen with something?" the redhead asked with mock politeness. Grimmjow raised his head up and locked his blue eyes with Renji's brown ones. His face stayed in its place but his insides felt like they just decided to take up gymnastics and fail horribly. _Like I don't feel like shit already, _he mentally growled, his feet hurt, his arm hurt and he was sweaty and aching all over and now he had to deal with that look which spelled out quite bluntly that he was an utter bastard and deserved it all.

"Nice to see you too, Abarai" he managed to utter, trying to sound like he wasn't in a world of pain. Renji raised an eyebrow to him but said nothing, just walked to the car and tapped the bonnet with his fingers.

"If you came for the car, it's not ready yet." This made the blue-haired man stand up, forgetting his pains for a few seconds.

"Why, what's wrong with it?" Renji rolled his eyes to him and crossed his arms to his chest.

"Your car has a condition that we mechanics know as FUBAR." Grimmjow frowned.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Fucked up beyond all repair" Ulquiorra remarked in his usual, bored-out-of-his-mind tone. Both men glanced at him while he examined his fingernails, snapping his fingers and letting out a small sigh. The men frowned at him almost identically, noticed the similarity of their reactions and Renji quickly went back to business to avoid the awkward silence.

"Yeah, he's right. I needed to order in a new door and engine since they were apparently shot full of holes." Renji cocked an eyebrow to his ex again, "want to tell me anything about it?" Grimmjow opened his mouth but before he could say anything he was cut short by a soft voice ringing through the garage.

"Ulquiorra-san." The said man's eyes suddenly widened as he turned his head towards the source of the voice, staring at Orihime who was standing at the back of the garage, twisting her hands in front of her.

"Orihime" he blurted out, earning weird looks from both Renji and Grimmjow who were suddenly feeling quite out of place. Renji threw a quick glance at his friend who answered his gaze and gave him an almost unnoticeable nod. Renji nudged Grimmjow on the shoulder and pointed towards his office with his thumb. The blunette caught his drift and they quickly left the two alone, feeling Ulquiorra eyes follow their every step until Grimmjow shut the office door behind them. Renji walked behind his desk, slumped in his chair and leaned his chin on his hand. Grimmjow leaned his muscular frame against the door, crossing his arms on his chest and winced in pain from the movement. The redhead gave him an inquiring look.

"So, ready to tell me what the hell has happened to your car" he started, then glanced at his ex's bound up arm and the bandages on his chest that were showing from the top of his shirt, "and to you apparently." Grimmjow tilted his head backwards and let out a sigh, then drew in breath between his teeth. Renji's frown mellowed into a more concerned look, if Grimmjow was actually wincing in pain he was badly battered. He had seen him coming home covered in blood, bruised and battered but still with a huge grin on his face, laughing as Renji had cleaned his wounds and shook his head in disbelief. _"'Just a flesh wound", _he would have said, _"I've had worse."_

"Bit of a misunderstanding really" Grimmjow said, rubbing his bandaged arm.

"That's an understatement if I've ever heard one." The other man rolled his eyes and tried to huff but the movement of his chest hurt more than he had anticipated and he had to bang his head against the door to quiet down the cry of pain that rose from his throat. Renji sighed, got up from his chair and walked to Grimmjow, wrapping his arms carefully around him and steered him into a chair.

"Wait a second" he mumbled and opened one of the cabinet drawers, rummaged through it and then retrieved a small tube filled with tablets. He opened the tube and took out two tablets, handing them to Grimmjow.

"Ichigo's dad gave these to me when a car dropped on my leg and broke it in three parts. They ought to help." The blunette glared at the pills with some doubt but then took them, throwing them into his mouth and swallowing them with an audible glug.

"Thanks", he muttered and fidgeted in his chair. Renji walked back to his chair and stared at his former lover who was clearly in great pain. _The stupid, suicidal idiot. What hell of a mess he's gotten himself into this time?_

"I probably should report the police about those bullet holes and blood stains in your car, but I doubt it's all yours."

"Yeah, just mine, nothing to worry about" Grimmjow hissed while trying to find a comfortable position. He glanced at Renji from under his mob of hair and thanked whatever gods might there be that he had done the right thing. _Otherwise it probably wouldn't have been just my blood that now ruins my seats._

"How the hell did all this happen?" Renji pressed on, "I've seen you beaten up before but never anything like this." Grimmjow could already feel the sweet numbness spreading on his body, easing the pain to a tolerable level. He was almost sure he had managed to tear open some of the stitches on his chest.

"Did you manage to beat up someone a bit too important?" the redhead asked, drumming the table with his fingers. The other man uttered a small laugh, now it didn't hurt as much as before.

"No, not I. But my boss did, in a way" he replied, now breathing easier. _Sweet., sweet medication. _He looked at Renji who still didn't seem satisfied with his explanation. _Oh what the hell, might as well explain it all now when I'm still breathing, more or less. _

He straightened himself up on his chair, ruffling his ever messy hair and pondered on where to start.

"You know that weird blonde guy with huge teeth, Shinji?" he asked the redhead who frowned as if trying to paint a mental image of the man.

"I guess I've seen him around somewhere...No wait, he used to hang around with Ichigo a few years ago" Renji waved his hand in the air as if gesturing backwards in time, "he and that little girl with anger management problems." Grimmjow nodded, leaning back on his chair, feeling his chest with his hand to check if any blood was soaking through the bandages.

"That's the guy. Well, he and his weird friends form a sort of a rival gang to my boss's and they've been taunting each other for years, but nothing major. I guess they have some sort of a vendetta against Aizen, just don't know why" he explained, observing Renji's facial expressions as he went on, "but then about two months ago Aizen went a bit too far and now there's been almost a full on guerrilla war between them and us. And that's how I managed to wreck my car" he paused to glance at his own bound up arm, "and myself in the process."

"And then they shot at you? Just because you work for Aizen?" Renji conjured up the image of Hirako Shinji in his head, he couldn't believe that that guy was actually some kind of a gangster who does drive- by- shootings around the town. _I have to ask if Ichigo knows anything about this._

"Well I'm not sure which one of them it was but they had a pretty bad aim. Lucky for me" Grimmjow sighed and closed his eyes for a minute, enjoying the numbing feel in his body. The redhead cocked an eyebrow and let his eyes roam across the blunette's battered body.

"If they can cause that much damage with a shabby aim, I don't wanna see what happens if they learn how to shoot properly." His former lover flashed him a half-hearted grin and glanced at him through his half-closed eyelids.

"So, since things have now gone to hell and we have to keep our heads low. Otherwise few holes in the car door and couple pints of blood on a car seat won't be our biggest problem."

"But if you knew that they were after you, then how did they manage to get to you, did you walk into an ambush or something?" Grimmjow cackled, shaking his head.

"I wish. No, I was just too damn stupid and careless, I didn't think they would actually dare to shoot at me, I figured they would probably just smash my car or something. But they proved me wrong, as you can see." The man flashed another half-hearted grin to Renji and lolled his head from side to side.

"Do you now understand why I had to leave you?" he suddenly asked in a huskier, lower tone. The redhead's body tensed up and he looked at his ex with a deep frown. Grimmjow sighed at the seemingly missed obviousness of things.

"I couldn't put you in danger just because my boss stirred some shit up with some wannabe vigilante idiots. Those bastards probably wouldn't shy away from causing some collateral damage in order to get back art Aizen." Renji looked even more puzzled than before.

"So when you said that it wasn't about me you meant this?" he pried, sounding doubtful.

"Good detective work there, Matlock" Grimmjow grunted, switching his position again. He ignored Renji's baffled buts as he rose from the chair, again drawing in breath between his teeth. He patted his chest again and could now feel his shirt sticking into the blood-soaked bandages. _Shit, gotta leave here now._

"But anyway, call me up when the car is ready" he muttered quickly and turned to the door but his feet wavered under him as he took the first step to leave. He leaned his hand to the closest filing cabinet while trying not to fall to the floor and felt his vision go dim. He could hear Renji's voice somewhere far away calling to him put he couldn't answer back before he fell to his knees and everything went dark.

* * *

"So he'll be alright?"

"Yes, you brought him here just in time. Though I would advise you, Abarai, not to give your subscription medicine to other people, even if they are just pain killers." Grimmjow could hear faint voices somewhere just beyond his conscience. They sounded familiar, but he couldn't say why. He tried to breath deep only to almost choke out of the pain. _Well that blows dicks for skittles, _he managed to conjure while his mind hovered somewhere between wake and unconsciousness.

"But you should've seen him, he was struggling to stay on his feet! And this is Grimmjow we're talking about, I've seen him get beaten up by ten guys and still walk home with his own feet." The other voice sounded agitated and somehow, worried. _But yeah, I've been through a lot worse than this shit. Or so I thought._ The second voice sighed but maintained its calm, low tone.

"Well yes, I admit he must have a tremendously high pain threshold, walking around with three broken ribs isn't really pleasant. It's amazing how he hadn't punctured his lungs by now, Ulquiorra said the accident happened almost a week ago."

"If you can call it an accident, they shot his car to shreds! And him too!" The first voice sounded even more wound up than before and he could hear the sound of pacing steps around him. He was almost sure he could feel someone touching his hand but it somehow felt it wasn't his hand at all. _In what sort of a high am I? Even thinking is a pain, _he grunted mentally while his mind seemed to be having some sort of a rave party inside his head, random thoughts and images popping up and out and making him feel nauseous. He felt like curling up to a ball and just pass out so his mind wouldn't be bothering him so much. It was impossible to relax and sleep in this state.

"Hey, is he waking up?" This voice was new, it sounded younger and clearer than the previous ones. It also was familiar to him but he couldn't put together a face and name for it. _Maybe I have amnesia or something. Do I remember my own name? Grimmjow Jeagerjacgues. you idiot. Now stop wasting your brain for such idiotic ideas and start making sense. Where was I before I blacked out? _Trying to remember what had happened just before he blacked out hurt even more than just being awake. _I...I remember my wounds hurt like hell and then there was blood...No, before that...I was getting my car back, that's it. I was at Renji's and I had run there to piss off Ulquiorra and probably tore my stitches while at it. _

"Grimmjow, can you hear me?" The first voice called his name and now he could actually feel someone touching his hand, squeezing it tightly. He tried to squeeze back but it felt like his hand was somehow severed from his body so he could still feel it but had no control over it. _Maybe they've cut my head open and put my brain in a jar on some shelf, while they probe my body like a robot. That'll would be the crown jewel of my week. _

"Hey, Grimmjow, snap out of it." Now someone was lightly patting him on the cheek, it soon started to piss him off. _Can't they leave a dying man and his brain alone? _

"Don't push him, his body is probably still in a state of shock and trying to recover. It's amazing how he didn't collapse earlier, maybe the combination of physical and emotional stress finally got to him." _That's right, now would you please all fuck off and let me die in peace? Wait, what emotional stress?_

"What emotional stress?" The third voice sounded out his thoughts exactly, he sounded almost as puzzled as Grimmjow felt.

"He had explained how he got himself shot and how that was the real reason why he left me in the first place. He wanted to protect _me _from getting caught in their stupid ass gang fight." _Would I really do something like that., _Grimmjow mused while listening to the voices. _Well shit, maybe I did. Maybe I'm not such a cold-cut bastard after all. _

"That's so brave of him" yet another new voice chimed in the conversation. This one was clearly a woman, her words sounded like she was really impressed by his claimed actions of chivalry. _Tsk, I'm getting softer by the minute. First I actually save someone being from killed and now I can't handle a few broken ribs. What a pussy. I would punch myself in the face if I'd cross my way. _

"I'd rather think he was just saving Aizen-sama the trouble of having to cover up a death of a civilian. Though why he would do anything that would benefit Aizen- sama is beyond me." This new voice stung in Grimmjow's brain like dull needle, its monotone so penetrating it made him cringe. Or maybe it was what he was saying. _But yeah, that sounds more like the me I know._

"Don't be so cold, Ulquiorra" the woman scolded him, now with a new found edge on her soft voice. Grimmjow grinned mentally. _Someone's getting their ass whooped later. And for once it's not me. _

"Should we just let him be?" the third speaker asked in a hushed tone. Others had gone silent and he could feel their more or less worried eyes on him, even though his body felt like being miles away.

"Yes, he needs rest more than anything. It will take time but he's strong and young so I'd say he'll make a perfect recovery." _Well that's good news. Maybe they'll put my brain back in too._

"Can I stay?" the first voice asked quietly. Grimmjow was enjoying this voice the most, it was somehow close and he wanted to reach his hand out to grab his but his damn body still wasn't responding.

"Yes, you can stay. Just don't try to wake him up." Footsteps echoed again and then he felt a warm hand holding his, caressing his worn-out knuckles and entwining its fingers with his. Suddenly his mind didn't feel so disarray anymore and drowsiness took over him again.

"You big idiot" he heard him whisper, "I was the last thing you should've worried about."

Renji took a deep breath while looking at the unconscious Grimmjow lying on the hospital bed. He had brought him to Isshin's clinic which was closer to his garage than any hospital. Plus he didn't really trust the doctors in hospitals, they might have called the cops the minute they saw Grimmjow and his gunshot wounds. The last thing he needed now was for him to get jailed.

"You big stupid son of a bitch" he muttered, not really knowing was he talking to Grimmjow or himself. _I've been such an idiot the whole time. Here I've been pining and getting shitfaced while he's been dodging bullets. Or taking them I guess. _Renji leaned back and crossed his arms behind his head. Three broken ribs and some internal bleeding, plus he had torn his stitches. Massive blood loss too. _Goddamn stubborn idiot, acting all tough while he might as well died on his feet. _Renji eyed Grimmjow's battered body, he was covered in bruises and cuts, probably from the glass of the car window. His forehead sported a fresh scar and Isshin had cleaned the deep cut on his forearm. Isshin had said that the bullets had luckily gone right through him and not stuck somewhere in his body. Renji didn't really see any good sides on being shot at but guess it could be worse. _Apparently it really could_.

Renji rubbed his face with his hand, muffling a yawn. It'd been hours since he brought Grimmjow at the clinic and he hadn't gotten a goodnight's sleep since he started fixing his car, partly because it was hell of a work and partly because he had been mulling over what exactly had happened to the car. Seeing Grimmjow was still alive, more or less, had been a relief but at the same time he was furious for not telling him the truth in the first place. _But what could've I done anyway? There's no way Grimmjow would've gone into hiding until things cooled down. Probably when he's back on his feet he'll go after Shinji and his gang. _The thought of a full-blown gang war in the town gave him shudders. _Maybe I should ask Kisuke to do something, he has connections with everyone who matters in this town. I'm so in over my head here._

His worrying was interrupted when he heard the door open and turned to look over his shoulder who it was. Ichigo was peeking his head through the door crack, looking almost as worried as Renji.

"You alright?" he asked while he slipped quietly into the room and pressed the door shut behind him. He was looking tired too, with bags under his eyes and his hair a mess. _Well, more than it usually is. _The youngster shuffled next to Renji and looked at the man lying on the hospital bed, still unconscious but from time to time he mumbled something incoherent and fidgeted, as if tormented by some weird dream caused by the painkillers and anaesthesia medicine.

"Dad says he'll probably be out for few more hours or so" Ichigo said on a low tone, trying not to disturb the patient. Renji nodded, sighing again and pressed his face into his hands. Ichigo placed his hand on the redhead's shoulder, trying to offer some comfort. _What would I do if Renji got shot to shreds and almost died? Or anyone of my friends? It was bad enough with Orihime, Uryuu was in total shambles for weeks, sometimes I thought he took it worse than Orihime. I guess it's the same with Renji now, judging by what they said Grimmjow left the hospital as soon as he was conscious so no wonder he collapsed._

"You should get some sleep" Renji whispered back and glanced at Ichigo. The youngster hemmed and ruffled Renji's red mane which was now loose on his shoulders and stuck to every possible direction as if he had been pulling it out.

'You're the one to talk" he replied and let out a long yawn, flashing a small smile to the older man. He then slid his hand gently to his neck, massaging the tense muscles which made Renji let out a small moan.

"You're all bundled up again" Ichigo scolded him and lowered his hand to Renji's upper back, "come upstairs, take a shower and go to sleep, you can't do anything here." First he was sure the redhead would object but with a few more skilful presses on his tensed muscles made him give in and he got up from the chair with a resigned sigh.

"Fine, whatever you want Ichi" he grinned tiredly and followed the young man out of the room, throwing one more glance at Grimmjow before shutting the door behind him.


	17. Whose Skin Is Still Between Us

**Whose Skin Is Still Between Us  
**

Ulquiorra and Orihime had left after Isshin had persuaded them to go home and get some sleep, he would take care of everything. Isshin himself was in his office, probably taking a quick nap on the couch. Karin and Yuzu had been awake when they had brought Grimmjow in but were also now sleeping downstairs in their rooms. Ichigo and Renji quietly made their way upstairs, the young man gave the redhead a towel so he could take a shower and said he'd be waiting in his room. Renji could sleep in his bed, he'd take the floor.

"What time is it anyway?" the redhead asked before going to the bathroom. Ichigo glanced at his wrist watch.

"About half past two. So sleepy time is long gone by now."

The hot water felt good. Renji leaned his forehead against the cold tiles of the shower, trying to relax and clear his mind from the dramas of the day, and the whole week. _Finally things are making sense, _he thought while putting the whole picture together in his head. It was good to get some sort of closure for all this mess but things were getting a lot more complicated than he had ever thought they could. _It would've been a lot simpler if he had just had someone else, not all this gangsta shit. Fucking Aizen, I wonder what the hell he has done to piss Shinji off so badly. Though he's just the kind of a twisted sick fuck who can push anyone's buttons if he wants to. _Renji had met the man a few times, but that was enough for him to detest the man's guts. At first he had seemed very refined and a polite man_, _soft- spoken and well-mannered. You wouldn't think he was a cold-blooded criminal mastermind but guess that was the whole point. Under his clean exterior there was something disturbing lurking behind those eyes that measured you up and seemed to calculate your worth by the pound. It felt like if he decided you'd be more use to him as a corpse, he'd shoot you on the spot. Very unnerving man.

Renji turned off the shower and dried himself up before tying the towel on his hips. He gathered his working clothes from the floor and walked to Ichigo's room, where the young man was setting up a mattress on the floor. He was wearing only his pyjama pants, leaving his toned upper body bare. He turned around to Renji when he heard to door close. The redhead figured he must've looked pretty beat up because Ichigo looked at him with sad eyes and walked to him, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug.

"Am I really that pathetic?" Renji asked with a tired grin. Ichigo patted him on the back before letting go of him, keeping his hands on the redhead's broad shoulders. His brown eyes scanned him quickly and he gave him a quirk smile.

"Well yeah, you kinda are. Like a puppy that's been kicked a few too many times" he replied, sliding his hands to Renji's back and massaging the tensed muscles. The older man groaned as he found a particularly sore spot.

"Sit down on the floor and I'll give you a proper massage, otherwise your back will only get worse. You won't be able to sleep."

Renji didn't need much persuasion before he slumped on the floor, leaning his back on the bedside. Ichigo sat on the bed with Renji's head between his spread legs and started kneading his friend's back, first gently feeling the muscles under the skin and then adding more pressure, emanating muffled moans and groans from Renji. The young man grinned to himself while tracing the lines of the man's tribal tattoos with his thumbs, feeling the inked patterns as slightly risen from the skin. _I wonder how long did it take to make all these? How much did it hurt? _Ichigo expressed his thoughts out loud, making Renji hem and crane his neck from side to side. He stretched out his left hand, twisting it around as if showcasing the tattoos better.

"I got my first tattoo when I was about...seventeen I guess. Then it just got a bit out of hand" he uttered a small laugh while turning his attention to the tattoos on his torso. He traced the lines with his fingers.

"But it didn't hurt as much as you'd think. The man at the tattoo parlour probably thought I was nuts when I said I wanted to tattoo my forehead too" the redhead grinned as he tapped his inked eyebrows.

"Well I don't blame him" Ichigo replied smartly and chuckled. Renji reached his hand back to slap him on the arm and then just leaned heavily back, placing his head to Ichigo's lap.

Few minutes they spend in silence, with occasional grunts from Renji as his friend kneaded a particularly tense bundle of muscles. After a while Ichigo gave Renji's back final pats and strokes.

"There you go, should be a bit better" he said and started to pull back his hands but the redhead grabbed him by the wrists.

"Stay there, will you" he muttered quietly. Ichigo frowned a bit but flattened his palms to Renji's chest. He could see why his friend was upset and was partly glad he was able to be there for him. Other part of him felt awful for thinking that there were any good sides in Grimmjow's current state. While Ichigo mulled over what the hell was really happening in the town's underworld, Renji got up from the floor and turned to face him, then said something that Ichigo partially missed. He shook his head and stared at the redhead.

"Sorry what?"

"I said sleep with me tonight" Renji repeated, earning a weird look from the young man. He started to fumble the towel off his hips, making Ichigo almost bolt.

"Wait what, now?" he asked baffled. He waved his hands in front of him and shook his head.

"What, what's wrong?" the redhead asked, looking as confused as Ichigo. He held the towel in front of him, still covering his privates.

"Well don't you think it's a bit...sudden?" the young man asked, increasingly nervous, "and highly inappropriate, with your ex lying downstairs half-dead?"

"What the hell are you talking about Ichigo?" Renji demanded, "I just said sleep with me on the bed, not on the floor." Ichigo stopped flailing his hands and stared at Renji.

"Oh" he said, letting his hands drop to his sides, "oh. Right. Yes, of course, yes yes yes..." his voice trailed off and a deep blush crept to his face. Renji rolled his eyes to him and chuckled lowly as he turned around, threw the towel on a chair and walked to his clothes to retrieve his boxers. Ichigo yelped quietly as he tried not to stare openly at Renji's flawless naked physique.

"It's okay, you can look" his friend chuckled and glanced at him over his shoulder while slipping into his boxers.

"I- I...oh" Ichigo mumbled trying to string together a coherent sentence but failed, then decided just to let it go and huffed out a breath. The redhead cackled as he turned around and walked to him, sat next to him on the bed and lopped backwards on the mattress. He let out a long sigh and yawned, pulling his legs to the bed and straightened himself so he was lying behind Ichigo who was still sitting at the edge of the bed. He patted the spot next to him.

"C'me here you old pervert" he grinned at the young man whose face was still red from embarrassment. Slightly reluctantly he lowered himself next to Renji, with his back to him. As soon as he was lying on the bed he felt the redhead's strong arm wrapping around him and pulling him close to his still wet body.

"Don't try to run away, baka" he muttered, pressing his forehead against the youngster's bare back. Ichigo scoffed lightly but grabbed hold of Renji's hand, entwining their fingers together.

Renji wrapped his other leg around Ichigo's thigh so now their lower bodies were touching too. Soon their breaths synchronised, steadying down. The redhead pressed light kisses on the young man's back, nuzzling his nose against his spine.

"You smell nice" he mumbled, then grinned "as always." Ichigo just hemmed and tightened his grip on Renji's hand.

"It could've been you" he suddenly whispered.

"Hmh?" Renji hummed. The young man turned around to face him, now again more serious look on his eyes.

"You, shot to shreds, lying downstairs, or in some ditch bleeding to death", Ichigo's voice rose to a slightly higher pitch. The redhead sighed and leaned his forehead against Ichigo's.

"Don't think like that, you'll just get stressed out for nothing" he mumbled while stroking the young man's hair. He drew him closer and let him press his head into the crook of his neck.

"Let's just get some sleep, it'll be better in the morning." Ichigo fidgeted against him but soon gave up, sighing against Renji's skin.

"It won't" he mumbled inaudibly but the redhead was already asleep.

The young man couldn't sleep. As soon as Grimmjow had been brought to the clinic and he'd heard what had happened to him, he remembered Shinji's surprise visit from week before. He'd seemed more agitated than usual, fiddling with his phone and looking out of the windows to the driveway to see if anyone was parked outside the house.

"_What's got you so on edge, Hirako?" _he had asked him while offering him a cold coke. The man had taken it and downed it with a single swig and rolled the can in his hands nervously. Then he had looked Ichigo straight in the eye, looking dead serious.

"_You want an honest answer?" _He had frowned, of course he wanted a straight answer. _It can't be that bad, _he remembered thinking back then. _How wrong can you possibly be, _he scolded himself while listening to Renji's steady breathing.

Shinji had started pacing around his living room, wondering on where to start. He had ruffled his straight blond hair and Ichigo could have almost sworn he had heard him grit his teeth.

"_I think I've gotten myself into some serious shit neck deep, and not just me but most of my friends too" _he had paused to look at Ichigo for a reaction. When the younger man just cocked an eyebrow bidding him to continue, he had exhaled deeply and leaned his head into his hands.

"_You know that guy Aizen, right?" _Ichigo had nodded bit hesitantly this time, he'd heard of the man but only rumours.

"_Well, we've had this row going on for some time between his guys and mine and so far it's been quite alright, nothing massive. We've even had some regular meetings among his henchmen and of Zaraki's, you know him too?" _At this point Ichigo had had to suppress a blush creeping to his face, sure he knew the man. Quite intimately in fact. He had just hummed in response and again bid Shinji to continue.

"_We've had some kind of a balance of powers between us for years now, everyone has stayed on their turf without butting into each others' businesses too much. But now, for some reason, Zaraki has been keeping quiet for a long time and some are thinking that he might even be retiring from the business. Maybe it's to do with that new police commander and her officers, they've been keeping all of us on edge ever since she was given the job. Plus I heard Zaraki's banging one of her detectives" _Shinji scoffed and rubbed his temples.

"_Any case, now with Zaraki positively gone, Aizen's been getting more arrogant and we've had to answer to the challenge. But about a week ago I think we went a bit too far..." _his voice had trailed off as he had glanced at the windows behind him. Ichigo had shifted his weight from one foot to another, getting quite anxious himself. This didn't sound good, first he had thought Shinji was just pulling his leg but a real gang war on the city streets? It almost sounded too farfetched but judging by Shinji's stress level it could just be real.

"_Well, tell me already, what did you do?" _he had demanded, the blonde's agitation was getting to him too. Shinji had looked back at him, his face glistening with sweat. With an audible gulp he finally managed to utter:

"_I think we may have killed one of his closest men, Grimmjow." _

Downstairs, their said patient was stirring from his sleep. Grimmjow groaned as he forced his eyes open, He blinked a few times before adjusting to the darkness around him and tried to get up, only to be sent right back on the bed as the pain radiated from his torso.

"Shit fuck shit" he muttered and frowned at the sound of his own voice. _I sound like some fucking crow cawing,_ he mused to himself while trying what parts of his body he could move without sending himself back into unconsciousness. His right hand didn't hurt so badly so he used it to feel himself up. His whole upper body was covered in bandages as was his left arm. He even had a bandage around his head, covering the scar on his forehead. _ I'm a fucking mummy. Fuck, if I could just find my legs..._His attempt to move again only resulted in a painful and noisy fall, it seemed his balance wasn't at its best.

"Fuck fuckety fuck fuck fuck" he gasped while trying to get up from the floor. The door opened and a tired looking man with black hair and a goatee stepped in, wearing a white clinic coat.

"Ah, our impatient patient is awake I see" he said and tried to muffle a yawn. He walked to Grimmjow and crouched beside him, wrapping his arms around his shoulders.

"Let's try to get you back to bed, big guy." Usually the brute would've protested but staying on the floor wasn't really an attracting option either. His doctor was surprisingly strong, he raised Grimmjow easily to his feet and back on the bed without difficulty. He sighed, scratching his head and picked up his patient's file, glancing through the pages.

"I'm giving it to you, a weaker man would've probably died in your condition days ago." Grimmjow scoffed, his face melting back into its trademark grin. His doctor hemmed and started to check his bandages.

"Seems you didn't tear your stitches again, good good..." he muttered while pressing gently across his abdomen, earning a few grunts from the patient.

"But you're still not in any shape to be on your feet." Grimmjow glared at him but couldn't deny that he was right. Just look what happened to last time he disobeyed his doctor.

"Then when will I be?" he grunted when Isshin was finished checking his wounds. The doctor frowned slightly and glanced at him.

"I don't suggest that you moved anywhere in at least a week. With the help of pain killers you might be on your feet in a few days but then you'd be in square one again if you ripped your stitches." Grimmjow groaned and slammed his head on the pillow.

"I don't have time to sit on my ass for a week" he muttered.

"Well, technically you won't be even able to sit but I'd think that your boss will understand. I take it you have somewhat a notable position in his...organisation." Grimmjow glared at the man. _Does he know something? But didn't Renji say he'd seen Shinji here? This man's got something to hide..._

"How would you know anything about that?" he asked, deciding to keep with his usual blunt approach to things. Ichigo's dad hemmed while making some markings to his papers and glanced at him from under his brow.

"I wouldn't. I'm just a humble doctor keeping a home clinic in the suburbs. How would I know anything about...whatever it is that you do." Something in the man's tone of voice contradicted his words completely, making Grimmjow's skin crawl. Maybe it was the eerie way his smile didn't seem to reach his eyes, which were looking at him as if assessing was treating him worth the effort or would it be easier just to call up Shinji and hand him over on a silver platter. Suddenly the idea of this man as his doctor didn't feel so reassuring. He tried to not to fidget in his bed, just waiting for the man to pull out a suspicious syringe and inject him with some lethal poison. Isshin Kurosaki probably knew exactly what he was thinking because his eerie smile turned into a loud laughter and then a yawn as he scratched his stubby beard and lowered the file from his hand.

"Don't worry Grimmjow, I'm not Shinji's accomplish and I'm not going to kill you. Though you are right, I could. Quite easily." Isshin crossed his arms on his chest and watched as Grimmjow glared at him, which was the most menacing thing he could do in his current state.

"But I don't want to get involved in this mess, mostly because of my family. And Renji wouldn't want to see my face ever if I killed his ex boyfriend" he smiled reassuringly. His patient scoffed again and rolled his eyes to him.

"But I do think what you did was quite noble, even your motives could be questioned." Grimmjow snapped his head to glare at him again.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing, nothing" the doctor mumbled shaking his head, trying to look nonchalant again. He shoved his hands into his pockets and rolled back and forth on his heels. Then he suddenly seemed to perk up and looked at his watch.

"Well yes, I should let you go back to rest some more" he chirped and left the room as abruptly as he had come, leaving Grimmjow wonder if he had just hallucinated it all. With an audible huff he closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep, but was kept awake by the sound of gunshots ringing in his ears. Finally he dozed off from the combination of sheer exhaustion and medication.

The morning sun stung Renji's eyes through the blinds in the window next to the bed. He groaned and flung his arm over his eyes, trying to tug the blanket over his head. When the blanket didn't agree to move, he opened one eye to see what was holding it back and noticed that Ichigo had cocooned himself in the blanket, curling into a fetal position on the edge of the bed. _Aww, he looks cute, _Renji smiled to himself. _But I'm still cold, _he thought and pulled the blanket forcefully so that it unwrapped round Ichigo, making him fall to the floor. The young man crashed to the floor with a loud thump, accompanied by confused mumbling.

"What the hell..." he muttered while trying to get up from the floor. He turned around to look at Renji who was laughing his ass of in the bed, holding the blanket in his lap.

"You friggin' bastard" Ichigo growled and quickly scrambled back to the bed and launched towards Renji, trying to grab blanket from him. The pair wrestled on the bed, tugging the blanket back and forth between them. The redhead snarled and placed his other foot against the headboard, rolled the blanket into his arms and then pulled with force. Ichigo quickly let go just before Renji tore the blanket from him, making him crash against the wall behind him, knocking his head with a loud crack.

"Oooh shit" Ichigo muttered under his breath. Luckily, the redhead answered with a string of cruses and rose back up, rubbing his head. Now it was Ichigo's time to laugh once he was sure his friend was alright. Renji glared at him from under his brow.

"You'll pay for that" he threatened and shifted his feet under him. Suddenly he pounced on Ichigo, wrapping his arms round the younger man's waist and pinning him down on the bed. He sat on the youngster's hips and started to tickle his sides aggressively, making him kick and scream in an effort to push him off.

"Aaaaa Renji stop it stop it stop you're killing me" he huffed while trying to escape from the redhead's grip. The older man just chuckled and continued roaming his hands over Ichigo's toned body. Slowly his tickling changed into more gently touch and the atmosphere quickly changed. Ichigo stopped his scrambling and lay under him, breathing heavily as the man's calloused hands caressed his chest and abdomen, tracing the lines of the muscles. He stared straight into Renji's eyes and noticed that a small wry smile was playing on his lips as his hands become bolder. The redhead leaned down and placed a light kiss on Ichigo's lips while his other hand made its way behind the youngster's neck. Ichigo didn't dare to move, fearing he would ruin the mood. Renji's lips were soft and their mouths quickly started to move in synch, deepening the kiss and making Ichigo part his lips, sliding his tongue out to glide it over Renji's lips. They both moaned softly as their hands roamed over each other's bodies.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Both men almost jumped off the bed in fright, quickly pulling away from each other and trying to look nonchalant. Ichigo ruffled his hair as he rose from the bed and walked to the door, opening it slightly and poking his head out.

"Oh, morning Yuzu. What's up?" Renji heard him say and then some other words muttered in a quiet voice.

"Okay, we'll be right down" the young man finally said and closed the door softly. He turned around and flashed Renji a nervous smile.

"Just Yuzu, telling us to come down for breakfast" he said as he walked back to the bed and stood in front of Renji, who sat on the edge of the bed. The redhead grinned back and draped his arms around the young man's hips, swaying them lightly round. Ichigo looked at him with a faraway look in his eye and twirled a few strands of red hair between his fingers.

"So, what are you thinking?" Renji asked while rubbing the youngster's pelvic bones with his thumbs. Ichigo snapped out of his thoughts and sighed, looking a bit nervous.

"C'mon, spit it out" the redhead demanded and shook him a little. The young man tilted his head to the side, choosing his words with care.

"I was just thinking...about us, you know. "

"Aaaand?" Renji pressed on.

"Well I thought that...with things being the way they are, could we be now considered a couple?" Ichigo hesitated a bit on the last word, looking at Renji nervously, his fingers fidgeting against his palms. The redhead cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow to him.

"A couple?" he repeated, mulling the word over on his tongue.

"Well yeah, because like each other, we kiss, we slept in the same bed, quite intimately I might add and...well, it's been over a month since you broke up with Grimmjow so I thought that maybe this would be the time to...make it official, I guess" he shrugged a little, as if trying to make his words sound less serious. Renji wasn't saying anything, just staring at Ichigo. He crossed his arms on his chest and exhaled through his nose and Ichigo could almost hear how his brains cracked on processing this new information.

"So what do you think?" he asked, nudging him lightly on the shoulder with his finger. Renji smiled up at him and hemmed.

"Sure, why the hell not" he replied, his smile widening to a grin as he pulled Ichigo into his lap and pecked him on the cheek. He reached his hand to ruffle the young man's orange locks.

"You silly little boy, what did you think I'd say?" he chuckled into his ear while petting his hair. Ichigo uttered a small laugh and pressed his forehead against Renji's.

"Well I wasn't sure what with Grimmjow's accident and all that jazz..."

"Well I wouldn't call it accident" Renji scoffed. Ichigo sighed and shook his head before continuing.

"Anyway, I'm just glad you agree with me on this" he said and planted a small kiss on the tip of Renji's nose.

"Does this mean I get to harass you publicly?" the redhead smirked at Ichigo while moving his hand along his side. The young man huffed and smacked him lightly on the back of the head.

"Now who's the pervert here" he chuckled back.

"But maybe we should go downstairs before our breakfast goes cold, or Yuzu sends Karin to fetch us" he said and tried to get up from Renji's lap but the older man pulled him back.

"But what if I wanna hold my new boyfriend" the redhead whispered into his ear and kissed his neck "just a little bit longer?" Ichigo felt his face flush and skin tingle hearing the words _"my new boyfriend"_ and uttered a small nervous laugh when Renji proceeded to plant kisses along his jawline and neck.

"Renji..." he muttered in an effort to resist and tried to push him off but the redhead persisted, mumbling sweet words to Ichigo's ear while his hands roamed over the youngster's toned, half-naked body.

"Hey wait wait wait" Ichigo finally managed to utter and wriggle out of Renji's grip, the man still smirking at him from under his brow.

"Where did this change of attitude come from?" the young man asked while trying to clear his mind from the lustful thoughts that Renji's caresses had stirred in him. The redhead cocked a brow and tried to pull him back to his lap but the youngster pressed his hands against the man's shoulders.

"What do you mean?" the older man asked and reached to kiss Ichigo's bare abdomen, which didn't ease his situation at all.

"Well just few days before you said that all this should wait but now you're all over me" the young man protested and grabbed hold of Renji's head and pushed it away from his abdomen. The man just shrugged and flashed him a wide smile, trying to imitate Ichigo's puppy-eyes look.

"I dunno, maybe I was just fucking around with you." Ichigo let out a combined sound of a sigh and a chuckle and patted the man on the head.

"Knowing you I wouldn't wonder if that was what you were doing, but it's still bloody confusing" he pouted at Renji.

"I'm sorry, Ichi, maybe now that I know that I might have died getting caught in a drive-by-shooting I just appreciate being alive more and want to enjoy every second I still have" he chuckled. The young man didn't seem amused by this.

"Don't joke about it, I was serious about that" he nudged Renji on the shoulder with his knuckles.

"I know I know, I'm sorry" the redhead apologised and rose from the bed, stretching his arms above his head cracking his back and shoulders with an audible groan.

"I'm not complaining, I'm just wondering" Ichigo said shrugging his shoulders and rubbing the back of his head. Renji flashed him another grin and ruffled his hair roughly.

"Don't sweat Berry, I don't mind. I know I've been acting like an utter bastard for the past weeks so you have all the right to ask me all sorts of stupid questions" he laughed, "I'll be more than happy to answer, if I'm not too busy catching up with the time I've lost mocking around rather than being with you." Ichigo lowered his face with a nervous chuckle.

"Don't you laugh now, when I'm being serious" the redhead protested but there was still laughter in his voice as he tried to wrestle with the youngster to show him his reddened face.

"Ichigo, what's taking you so long..." called a voice from outside the room and the door was slammed open by Karin whose facial expression changed from bored to surprised upon seeing his brother and Renji in each others' arms, half- naked next to the bed. She opened her mouth and then snapped it shut, a wide grin spreading to her face.

"I'm sorry, I'll leave two to it" she smirked at them and pulled the door closed. The men had both frozen to the spot when the door had opened and just stared at Karin wide-eyed until she was gone. They looked at each other and then burst into a loud laughter, leaning into each other so they wouldn't tumble to the floor.

"Did you see her face?" Ichigo managed to utter in between chortles.

"I think we're destined to be always interrupted by some nosy women folk just in the wrong moment" the redhead cackled back, holding one arm to his stomach which was starting to hurt from all the laughing. Ichigo was wiping away tears of laughter and finally they managed to calm down, though both still grinning like maniacs every time their eyes met. Renji patted the youngster on the back while trying to compose himself.

"We'd better go down before your dad runs up here, that's one more spectator I could do without."

"You're probably right. Let's go" Ichigo replied and made his way to the door. Before leaving the room, Renji slapped his ass making him jump in fright.

"Had to take the advantage don't I?" the redhead smirked when the young man glared at him, "now that we're 'official' and all."

"I knew this was a bad idea" Ichigo huffed while walking down the stairs.

"You can only blame yourself Berry."

"Boke."


	18. When You Finally Get Involved

**Back after a too long break! I've been busy with my new KenShuu- fic but now my inspiration has changed it focus, again :D But here's hoping you'll enjoy the new chapter, read&review.**

**When You Finally Get Involved**

After a somewhat awkward breakfast filled with knowing glances and shared giggles from Ichigo's father and his sisters, Renji sneaked to check on Grimmjow while his brand new boyfriend helped Yuzu to clear the table. The clinic was silent and smelled the same all hospitals did, sanitized and cold. Grimmjow was the only bed patient at the moment. Isshin didn't usually keep patients in his clinic for a longer period of time but with Grimmjow he had promised to do an exception since the man was so reluctant to go to a hospital. When the redhead opened to the door to the darkened room, the patient seemed to be asleep. Renji shut the door quietly behind him and sneaked next to the bed.

Seeing Grimmjow like this felt odd. While sleeping, his trademark smirk melted away as did his ever-present frown so similar to Ichigo's, making him look younger and less intimidating. The sight reminded Renji of the mornings when they had still been together, when he had almost always woken up next to the loudly snoring Grimmjow, sleeping like a noisy baby. _Seems that asleep is the only state that wipes off that smirk from his face_ , the redhead smiled to himself while eyeing the bandages that covered most of the man's body. He seemed to be sleeping soundly so maybe he wasn't in that much pain anymore. Isshin had said he'd give him as much painkillers as possible so he wouldn't have to suffer anymore than he already had.

Renji ran his hands through the mass of his hair, sighing deep and stretching his long legs in front of him. His thoughts were all a mess right now, trying to figure out what to do with Grimmjow and his current situation. _I'm way over my head here, probably the wisest thing to do would to just tell about this to Shunsui or Yoruichi, maybe even Kisuke. Though I suspect they know well enough already, it's their job. Well, in Shunsui's case at least, those other two just seem to know everything by default. _Grimmjow groaned in his sleep and stirred a little but didn't wake up. Renji reached his hand to the man's forehead to stroke the bandaged skin. _At least he's got some more scars of which to be so bloody proud of, _he huffed to himself. _Just a flesh wound, as always. If he didn't have some scars from a fight, it was a waste of time. _The redhead uttered a small laugh and shook his head reminiscing all those times he's seen Grimmjow all bloody and battered, laughing like a maniac. _He probably is a bit screwed in the head. Has to be._

The door creaked open and Reni turned to look who was coming. Ichigo poked his head in and mouthed a question if he could come in. The redhead nodded and smiled lightly, then turned back to Grimmjow.

"Dad said he woke up at night and fell out of bed" the young man said softly while walking next to Renji. The redhead hummed and raised his eyebrows.

"Figures as much", he replied "I think it just might be physically impossible for him to stay put." Ichigo uttered a small laugh and lowered his hand on Renji's shoulder.

"You planning to stay here for long?"

"Probably not, I still have lot of work to do at the garage and I'm no use here anyway. But I guess the worst is over by now, eh?" He glanced up at Ichigo for reassurance, who nodded eagerly but still looked at the patient bit worried.

"He'll be alright, provided he rests and lets the wounds heal properly before jumping out of bed again."

Renji nodded and got up from the chair, exhaling deeply.

"Guess I should head back to the garage, I promised I'd get his car fixed."

"But he won't be needing it for weeks, can't you stay for awhile?" Ichigo tried to persuade him with his puppy eyes. Renji chuckled and kissed him on the forehead, ruffling his hair again.

"Sorry Ichi, work doesn't do itself. Plus I need to relax and working is the best way for it." The youngster huffed and slapped his hand away but without any real resentment, a wry grin playing on his lips.

"Fine, do whatever you want. I need to go back to my flat anyway, studies…"he mumbled and seemed somehow nervous all the sudden.

"Hey, what's up Berry" Renji asked poking him in the chest.

"Nothing, just feels…weird being with you when he's…there" he muttered gesturing towards Grimmjow. The redhead hemmed and raised his eyebrows, then kissed his boyfriend quickly on the cheek.

"Get used to it, boke" he chuckled. Ichigo wiped his cheek with his hand but smiled lightly, staring at his toes.

"But I'll get going, I'll come by later to check on him. And on you too" Renji smirked and slipped past him, smacking his ass just before scurrying out of the room. Ichigo tried to slap him back but he was already gone. _Stupid bastard, _he thought to himself while rubbing his butt but couldn't help smiling like an idiot while thinking about the redhead.

"So, already all that cuddly and shit" a hoarse voice groaned behind him. He spun around and saw Grimmjow smirking at him, his eyes slightly open. Ichigo swallowed nervously and his hand immediately went to the back of his head, like in a nervous tick. The man on the bed chuckled and looked back at the ceiling above him.

"Like I give a shit…Even if I did I couldn't do anything right now." Ichigo relaxed a bit but tried to shuffle away from the bed towards the door.

"Stay put." His body seemed to acknowledge the man's words before his brain got the hang of them.

"I wanna talk with you, you little punk" Grimmjow growled between his teeth while trying to move up on the bed "and since I can't move you will just have to stay where you are."

"Why would you wanna talk with me?" Ichigo replied crossing his arms on his chest, his face turning into a scowl.

"'Cause I know that you had something to do with this shit I'm in right now" the man gnarled, then inhaled sharply from the pain. Ichigo made an instinct movement to help him but stopped himself, the man was still probably capable of ripping his head off.

"You alright" he murmured lowly, shifting his weight from one foot to another. The man nodded, his face still contorted into a pained expression. Ichigo looked around in the room, then grabbed Grimmjow's chart and glanced through it.

"I don't think we can give you any more painkillers so you just have to try and stay put…" he said, looking back at the man who was steadying his breath.

"Perfect" he muttered back.

"What makes you think I'd know anything about this…this mess" Ichigo asked after a short silence. Grimmjow opened his eyes to slants and glared at him again.

"You and that bastard Shinji are mates, right?" The young man flinched but tried to look unshaken. _Should I just lie or tell him the truth? I have no idea how much he knows so I might be treading on very thin ice here…_

"How do you know that?" Ichigo asked. Grimmjow snorted and grinned at him.

"Your boyfriend told me, idiot. See, he still loves me" the man remarked viciously. Ichigo scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"If you think you can scare me with that bullshit you can forget it. I know Renji better than you do."

"Oh really?" Grimmjow's grin widened so that it reminded Ichigo of Kenpachi's brutal smirk. The resemblance made him shiver.

"Well I highly doubt that since you don't really know a person until you've had them writhing under you, panting and begging for more…" Grimmjow trailed off, enjoying seeing Ichigo fidget in his place and trying not to cringe at his words.

"I don't need to hear that from you, Grimmjow, so cut the bullshit and just tell me what you want." The man cackled which was immediately followed by a cough that hacked in his chest. The young man frowned worriedly and was about to call out his dad when Grimmjow managed to pull himself back together.

"Just tell me what you know about Shinji and his chums and maybe I'll let you live a bit longer."

"You know that's not really threatening coming from a man whose bed bound for at least a week" Ichigo smirked back. He was silenced by Grimmjow's menacing glare that probably was closest to a look that actually could kill.

"Fine, fine, just leave me and Renji out of this once I've told you what I know, deal?"

"I might leave you alone, but Renji…" Grimmjow smirked smugly once more, "I'm not sure if I can."

"Then you'll just have to make do without me" Ichigo replied and turned to the door to walk off but stopped by Grimmjow's voice again.

"Alright alright, I was just screwing with you…tsk, no sense of humour." The young man sighed and pulled himself a chair, then sat down next to Grimmjow's bed.

"So, spill it out, while I'm still conscious" the man groaned while trying to find a better position. Ichigo leaned his hand on his knees and thought on where to begin.

"Well, I met Shinji at some student party last year, he was there with some of his friends, you know, the girl with black hair and glasses and the blond guy" he started, pausing to let the other man confirm he knew what he was talking about.

"Anyway, we started talking and just got along and then I bumped into him at the café near the campus and we've kept in touch since then. He's an alright guy, though he always seemed a bit vague about what he does for a living. Then about four months ago he finally told me about his criminal activities but he made it sound like they were some sort of vigilantes instead of just low criminals." Ichigo almost bit his tongue after uttering the last words and glanced at Grimmjow, who didn't seem to have noticed. With a small relieved sigh he then just shrugged and leaned back.

"That's pretty much all I know, I've told him I don't want to be a part of their gang."

"So he asked you to join them?" the patient frowned at him.

"Well, yeah, kind of" Ichigo scratched the back of his head, "he said they could use a smart young guy like me who apparently has some connections. Though I have no idea what he was talking about."

"Oh really? You have no idea? Tsk." Grimmjow didn't seem to be buying it all.

"When's the last time you saw him?" Now Ichigo thought hard. _Should I tell him I knew about this? Will he notice if I lie?_

"Oh, it's been quite long now actually, month or so maybe" he blurted out quickly. Grimmjow scowled at him but didn't say anything.

"Fine, you can go. But don't think I'm done with you just yet." The young man rolled his eyes to him and rose up to walk out just when his dad entered the room.

"Oh Ichigo you're here. I thought you had left with Abarai- san" Isshin's eyes glinted as he uttered the name of his son's new boyfriend. Ichigo exhaled and tried to exit the room by exiting past his father.

"Say my greetings to Abarai-san when you see him!" the old man hollered after him but he just waved his hand dismissively to him.

"Yeah yeah, whatever" he muttered while slamming the door shut behind him.

Renji had stopped to buy a pack of cigarettes on his way back to the garage. He was lighting the first one when he saw a flash of bright orange from the corner of his eye. He turned around to get a better look and yes, it was Orihime who was jogging towards him across the street, waving her hands at him frantically.

"Renji-san, wait!" she yelled at him, not even bothering to watch out for the oncoming traffic on the street. Renji frowned at her as she made her way to him, leaning her hands to her knees and panting.

"You should be more careful, Hime, you're no Wonderwoman." The girl just beamed at him and pumped her fist up in the air.

"Maybe I am, just in disguise! Or maybe my powers haven't been woken up yet and I'm just waiting for the alien ship from my home planet to come pick me up…" She stopped her ranting when she saw Renji chuckling silently at her, his shoulders bouncing up and down as smoke trailed of his nostrils.

"Don't laugh Renji- san, I might be serious and then when I get my superpowers back, you'll be sorry!" The man waved his hand apologetically in front of him and tried to catch his breath.

"Sorry Hime, I shouldn't make fun of the Wonderwoman. Why are you here anyway, I thought you had work?" Orihime shook her head, making her flaming mane flick from side to side.

"No, I have the day off, I told the manager that my friend had been hurt so he let me have a day off." Renji raised his eyebrows to this, usually Orihime's boss was quite a tight ass.

"Really? Did you really say that your friend got hurt?"

"Well I may have mentioned Grimmjow-san's name to him and he looked as if he'd seen a ghost." Now Renji understood, Grimmjow was quite known figure to anyone who knew anything about the town's underworld. Probably Aizen had sometimes made the manager pay protection money to his gang and Grimmjow was usually the debt collector.

"Now it all makes sense" he muttered while inhaling the cigarette smoke into his lungs. He had quit for the past few weeks but now with the situation with Grimmjow had gotten him so on edge that he just needed something to calm down his nerves. He watched as Orihime rolled back and forth on her heels while fidgeting her hands in front of her. _Guess someone else's nerves could need some calming down too…_

"You had something you wanted to talk to me about yesterday" he said to the girl, who snapped her eyes back to him. Her gaze told Renji more than she probably meant, making him frown deeply.

"What's wrong, Hime?" The girl looked as if she was about to burst into tears but hold herself together, taking in deep breaths like Yoruichi and Rangiku had taught her. _Be strong now, you have to do this._

"Could we talk somewhere private?" she whispered to the redhead who nodded quickly, still looking confused. He hadn't seen Orihime this upset since the incident, she had forced herself to become stronger after that. Otherwise she probably would have lost her mind. Renji was secretly very proud of the girl and thanked her mentors for whatever they had told her during that time.

They walked together to the garage and slipped inside. Renji lead the girl to the office where they had talked earlier before they had been interrupted by Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. Renji sat down behind his desk and put his feet up on the table. Orihime sat on the big comfy armchair in the corner, bending her legs under her. The redhead crossed his arms behind his back and leant comfortably in his chair, then looked at the girl from under his brow.

"So, let's talk." Orihime sighed deeply and leaned her chin to her hands, rolling her eyes towards the roof while thinking how to start it all. She had been so prepared yesterday but it all had been messed up by those two. Now she wasn't so sure anymore. She could almost hear Yoruichi and Rangiku beret her inside her own head.

"_You're stronger than you think, Orihime, don't ever underestimate yourself. You need no one to protect you as long as you are true to yourself and your own feelings." I wonder where they have learned that stuff, _she pondered while her cheeks were starting to blush under Renji's stare. She decided maybe it was best to listen to Rangiku's advice and get straight onto it.

"I think Uryuu is cheating on me." She hadn't even completed her sentence when Renji jumped up from his chair, almost knocking over the desk. His face contorted in fury and his hands clenched into tight fists.

"What the hell? That son of a bitch…!" He slammed his fist into the nearest wall, cracking the paintwork off it. Orihime quickly rose from her chair and wrapped her arms around the furious man.

"Renji-san please calm down! Listen to me, I haven't finished!" Renji's chest was heaving from suppressed anger and his eyes were dark as he glanced down at the girl.

"Fine" he snarled between clenched teeth and crossed his arms on his chest.

"What else has he done? I swear I'll pound that bastard into the ground…"

"No Renji, it's not like that" Orihime protested and pushed back a strand of stray hair from her face, "he's not actually _doing_ anything with anyone." Renji cocked an eyebrow.

"I'm not following."

"Listen, sit down" she sighed and pulled the man down to the floor to sit beside her. She took his hands into her own smaller ones and caressed his rough knuckles gently as she weighed her next words carefully.

"It's more like…you know, on an emotional level. I don't think he loves me anymore." Renji looked now more puzzled than before.

"Has he said that to you?"

"No no, of course not…You know Uryuu, he's a great guy and would never hurt me on purpose but I can tell…He treats me more like a sister, not a lover. He tries to hide it but I know. He cares for me still and that's why he doesn't want to say anything, he still thinks I'm a frail little girl."

"But you're our little girl" Renji cooed while reaching his hand out to stroke Orihime's blazing hair. She smiled weakly back at him and grabbed his hand.

"To you maybe, but I don't want my boyfriend to think like that. I want a partner who treats me like an equal, not something that could just break from any touch."

The man nodded, he could relate to that. With Ichigo he knew exactly where the boundaries where and what he could and couldn't so or say.

"Alright, so when did this begin?" Orihime sighed again and fiddled with a strand of her hair.

"A few weeks ago, then I really started to notice it. He didn't like to touch me like before and has spent all his time at the campus, buried in his studies. First I thought he was busy and stressed so I didn't bother with it but then one day, I decided I'd surprise him and went to the university with some homemade muffins and stuff…And then I saw him with her."

Renji's face started to turn red again.

"With who? I swear, that kid is gonna get it…" Orihime shook her head again.

"Some girl who also studies medicine. And no, they weren't doing anything, just talking and joking around…But I could see how Uryuu looked at her, like he used to look at me. Then I realized that he isn't in love with me anymore, or at least not like he used to be. And I get it, we started going out when we were quite young and a lot has happened during the past year, we've both grown up and our lives have changed… We don't really have that much in common anymore, we're just used to each other's company and we care for each other. But that's not enough, for either of us." Renji felt sad for his friend and pulled the girl into his lap, stroking her back and hair gently. She swallowed down a sob and uttered a small laugh.

"I promised I wouldn't cry anymore, not for any guy…But I guess I can't help it."

"It's alright to cry, Hime, Uryuu was the first guy who really loved you. It hurts to lose your first love, even if the feelings just slowly fade away. You'll find someone else, someone better, trust me." Orihime smiled against Renji's chest and hemmed quietly.

"Well, that's the other thing I needed to talk to you about…" The redhead pushed the girl back a little so he could look her in the eyes.

"Oh? You already found someone new?"

"Well kinda" the girl shifted uneasily on his lap and pulled back to sit on his knee. She fiddled with her hair again nervously and avoided Renji's eyes that seemed to bore through her.

"Spit it out, girl, I can see you're not telling me everything." Orihime bit her lower lip and looked shyly at her friend.

"Promise you won't be mad?" Renji frowned and laughed.

"Why would I ever be mad?" Then he scowled to the girl.

"It's not Ichigo, is it?" This time Orihime burst into laughter and threw her head back, wrapping her arms around Renji's neck and pressed her forehead against his.

"No, you silly, not in a million years! Just think what the children would look like, the hair would be too messed up for words" she giggled while imagining kids with their combined genes of bright orange hair. Renji had to let out a chuckle too, Ichigo might be bisexual but Orihime was like sister to her. _A gorgeous, buxom sister but still…Yes, not in a million years._

"Well then who is it, and why would I get mad?" The girl's laughter seized and she looked nervous again.

"It's someone who might not be suitable for me, from your view at least" she rounded about, trying to avoid saying anything real. Renji sighed and grabbed the girl by the shoulders, forcing her to look at him straight in the eye.

"Orihime, give me a name. Right now." The girl hesitated for moment more and then sighed in submission.

"It Ulquiorra Schiffer- san." Renji almost bolted up from the floor, nearly knocking the girl back from his lap.

"Say that again, please" he huffed out, trying to take in the information. Orihime shook her head sadly and lowered her face.

"I knew you'd be mad at me Renji-san…I'm sorry…"

"No no no no" Renji hurried to say and grabbed the girl's face into her hands, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs, "I didn't mean it like that, you just caught me off- guard."

"I know it's silly and I knew you wouldn't understand…"

"Then make me. That's why I'm your friend, tell me." Orihime seemed relieved and couldn't help a small smile gracing her lips as she thought about the said man.

"Well, you know how I ended up in the hospital after…you know." Renji nodded, spurring the girl forward, not wanting to dwell on the past memories.

"He was the one who found me. He called help for me and even visited me at the hospital." The man frowned and cocked his head to the side.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Orihime shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know, it was all just a haze and I had other things to think about…And after that, he visited me at the café, to check up on me. So we ended up talking, or he was more like listening to my ramblings and saying how silly I was but still he always came back and stayed…He doesn't think I'm a little girl" she blushed saying the last words and covered her mouth with her hand. Renji smiled at the girl and pulled her hand away.

"Whatever or whoever makes you happy is fine by me, Hime" he said softly while stroking her small, delicate fingers. His brow knitted together again as he replayed everything he had just heard in his head.

"So what are you going to do with Uryuu?" Orihime sighed, leaning her head against Renji's chest.

"I really don't know, Renji. I think he'd be relieved to hear this but still…He's my friend and I don't wanna hurt him."

"Yeah, I know…But he's a big guy, he can take it. But now, tell me more about this girl you saw him with." Orihime giggled and relaxed in her friend's warm lap, snuggling herself into a tight ball.

"I think her name's Nemu. She's bit weird but I guess I'm the one to talk." They both chuckled at the notion before the girl continued.

"She's really pretty actually, long black hair and big eyes…She's always wearing these short skirts though, but she's not skanky or anything…"

"Excuse me, skanky? Where did you learn that?" Renji had to stifle a laughter hearing his innocent little Hime using such words. The girl blushed again and giggled.

"I think I heard Rangiku-san use it when she was talking about some girl at her work" she replied, smiling widely while remembering Rangiku's rant about the said woman who apparently gave every woman a bad name by using her feminine features to get her way. _She's to one to talk, eh. _

Ichigo had meant to go back to his flat and really study but after Grimmjow's cross- examination he felt too agitated to concentrate on anything important. He had just wandered around downtown, browsing comic books at the newsagents, looking for new CD's at the record store and finally ended up sitting in a nearby café. He was whirling the spoon in his coffee when a loud voice called his name.

"Ichigo? Ichigo!" The young man raised his eyes from his drink and saw a voluptuous green haired woman running towards him from the counter, carrying a doughnut in one hand and a takeaway coffee in the other. She latched herself to Ichigo's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and almost choking him.

"Hiya Neliel" he huffed out while trying to release himself from the girl's death grip.

"I've missed you so much, Ichigo" the girl cooed and finally let go of him. Somehow she had managed not to spill her drink or mush her doughnut. She beamed at Ichigo and sat down at his table.

"How've you been, Ichi" she chirped at him while taking a big sip of her coffee.

The young man smiled at the enthusiastic girl. He had known Neliel ever since grade school and they had been quite close, but during high school their ways had parted, Nel had gone off with the wrong crowd so to speak. Ichigo had heard some wild rumours about her but now she was working as Byakuya's secretary and had an amazing girlfriend so apparently she had managed to turn her life around.

"I'm just great, Nel, how about you? I heard you work for the Kuchiki's now" he said, grabbing his coffee cup into his hands. The girl laughed and threw back her mass of wavy green hair. She had grown up to a beautiful young woman, her curvy body reminded Ichigo so much from Orihime as did her bubbly personality. _I'm not sure if even half of the rumours I heard are true…I wouldn't think anyone could go through stuff like that and come back unscathed. _

"Yeah, Kuchiki-san's alright once you get to know him better. Especially now that he's found someone special to keep his mind off work…" Ichigo almost spat his coffee out hearing the girl's words.

"Wait wha-what? Byakuya's dating someone? Who?" Neliel looked at him with surprise and took a bite of her doughnut.

"I thought you'd know, being so close to her sister and Renji…But I guess he likes to keep it a secret, you know, because of his family and stuff." The young man shook his head and wiped his mouth to the back of his hand. His mind was racing with possible candidates for Byakuya's new partner. Renji had said he couldn't date anyone he liked because of his family but maybe he had found a woman that he could tolerate? Or a man so great he couldn't resist him? Whoever it was, this was big news. _The ice king has met his match, so to speak. _

"No, I don't think even Renji knows about this…Or at least he hasn't said anything to me. And Rukia's been busy with…whatever she does these days." Nel giggled and Ichigo could see from the corner of his eye how she was getting a lot of interested looks from the male customers at the café. And he was getting the old stink eye for being with her. It was the same thing if he was out with Orihime or Rangiku, other men seemed to take that as a personal offense seeing a delinquent like him surrounded by these gorgeous women. _Goddamnit, like I asked for this!_

"But yeah, I'm actually waiting to meet an old friend here, back from my rascal days" Neliel continued, snapping Ichigo back to reality. He cocked an eyebrow to her, if she was still in touch with some of the people from days past, had she really turned her life around? She seemed to read his thoughts and shook her head laughingly.

"Oh don't be like that Ichigo, you probably know her too. And no, she's not a drug addict or a dealer, she worked at the same place as I did" she explained and looked back at the café entrance.

"Wait, there she is! Yoruichi, over here!" she waved her hand to the woman who had just walked in the café. If before Ichigo was getting bad looks, now they were doubling up. The woman walking over to their table was every bit as gorgeous as Neliel herself, her dark skin, long purple hair and cat- like grace made her look more like a feline than a human being. She was wearing skin tight dark jeans and a tight white shirt that showed off her curvy figure. Her smile had something wicked in it, like the glint on her eye that suggested there was way more to this woman than just her appearances.

Yoruichi sat next to Neliel at the table and gave her a warm hug. Ichigo could hear the other man gasp and groan at the sight. He chuckled inwardly, of course all manner of perverts were stricken by the sight of two beautiful women embracing each other. Yoruichi turned to look at Ichigo and flashed him a wide smile.

"Hello Ichigo, how's your father bearing these days?" Now that she mentioned his Dad, the young man could faintly remember seeing the woman before. He had seen a photo of her at Urahara's, she had been pictured with the club owner and his father in some martial art outfits in front of a dojo. Urahara had told him it had been taken on the day they had received their black belts.

"He's just fine, as usual…But I don't believe we've ever met." The woman laughed and reached over the table to pat him on the cheek.

"Of course, I'm sorry, you were only a baby back then. I remember your mother bringing you to the dojo to practice, you were such a sweet little kid back then" she reminisced while taking a sip of Nel's coffee. The green haired beauty pouted her lips to her friend and slapped her hand off the beverage.

"So, how do you two know each other?" Ichigo's question made the women look at each other and burst into giggles. Yoruichi draped her hand over Nel's shoulders and winked an eye to the young man, who was starting to blush.

"Oh we go way back, to the dark and sinful places of this town" she replied cryptically, wagging her eyebrows at Neliel who giggled like a school girl. Ichigo was getting redder by the second, all kinds of perverse images flying through his head.

"We were strippers, Ichigo. But that was years ago, I quit soon after I met Tia. And Yoruichi was doing it for the laughs." The women giggled again, totally unphased by sharing the secret with him.

"Stri-strippers? For real? Why the hell for?" Neliel finished the rest of her doughnut and licked the frosting of her fingers. _Oh well I guess it makes sense…No no no, think of flowers and puppies, anything but naked ladies! On poles and high heels and oh goddamnit…_

"I needed the money for my business studies" Nel explained while Yoruichi was busy drinking her coffee, "the tips are quite good if you commit to it. I did some pretty neat tricks with the pole when I was still young and flexible."

"Yeah, I remember that. I always envied how you managed to bend yourself like that" Yoruichi put in.

"Well you weren't so bad yourself, I thought you were going to spin off the pole at some point, you were going so freaking fast!" The women burst into giggles again while Ichigo tried to make himself invisible and slowly sneak out. But he was stopped by Yoruichi's steel grip on his shoulder.

"Leaving so soon, Ichigo?" Her tone was merry but her eyes told a different story.

"Ob c'mon Ichigo, don't be a spoilsport! We have loads of cool stories we can tell you!" Ichigo swallowed and forced a smile on his face, while his cheeks burned red.

"Do you remember those outfits we used to wear?" Neliel asked Yoruichi, who snorted and leaned back on her seat.

"Do I? There isn't really that much to remember, the table cloths at that place had more fabric than our clothes!" _This will probably be the first recorded incident of a man dying of a nose bleed, _Ichigo moaned mentally while trying to think about anything but those two women opposite the table wearing nothing but teeny tiny bikinis or less. _Where's Renji when you need him?_


	19. It's You That I Adore

**Long time no logo guys. Sorry for the wait everyone, I finished (and started) other fics while I put this one on hold, I just ran out of inspiration, mainly because this was my very first fanfic and I didn't really know what I was doing so I was bit ashamed of the whole thing. I'm planning on doing some rewriting on this, but I might do that after I've finished with all the remaining chapters, then I'll know what I'll have to do with it. Hope you enjoy it, next update won't take this long, promise! **

**It's You That I Adore**

Renji watched as Orihime skipped away along the road, turning around and waving at him with her usual wide smile on her pretty face. Renji waved back and couldn't help smiling at the girl's expression. He would probably never understand how women could go from one emotion to another in a split second. One moment he had been trying to comfort the crying girl and the next she'd been giggling and telling him all about how Ulquiorra was actually a real softie. _Still, the guy's a bit creepy. But I guess I'm the one to talk. _He had told Orihime about Ichigo and him too, which had made her almost hit her head on the wall behind her as she had bolted up on hearing the news. Renji was almost sure his ears were still ringing from the squeal she had made. She had made him swear that they'd meet tonight and go out to celebrate. The redhead chuckled at the girl's enthusiasm, she seemed to feed on other people's happiness.

_Thinking about happiness, _he mused as he fished out his phone from his pocket and was about to tap in a message when the phone peeped. He had received a text, from Ichigo nonetheless. He tapped it open and read it through quickly, chuckling to himself as he got to the end of it. He quickly wrote a reply to him and shoved the mobile back to his pocket, waking back inside to the garage. He glanced at Grimmjow's car that was standing alone in the far end of the hall, covered with a large pelt. He sighed and shook his head, it was like the man persisted on bullying him for the rest of his life. He thought turned around and walked out, locking the door behind him. He couldn't yet do really anything before the new parts came in so he might as well take the day off.

Renji headed for downtown, Ichigo had sent him a cry for help. Apparently he was being harassed by two beautiful women, a cruel fate for such young man. The redhead chuckled to himself as he strolled down the streets, bracing himself against the cold weather that whipped his face and hair. He smiled as he thought about the young man's face when he had asked about their relationship earlier that day and his childish joy when he had complied into being an official couple. He wanted to see much more of that smile on Ichigo's face, and as soon as possible. He finally found the café and stepped inside, a small bell on top of the door ringing as he pushed the door open. He looked around and quickly saw the familiar tousle of bright orange hair sticking from one of the tables at the back. He could hear two female voices chattering loudly and laughing every other second.

He walked to the table, his face splitting into a wide grin as he saw Ichigo almost crouching at the corner and staring at the two women with wide eyes. Renji recognized Neliel and Yoruichi and was about to make his presence known when he heard a single sentence in the conversation.

"So this guy had his tongue piercing stuck to my nipple and goddamnit it hurt like fuck, I can tell you…" Yoruichi was explaining, earning a loud laugh from Neliel and a horrified stare from Ichigo. The young man was the first to notice Renji and the relief was visible in his eyes.

"Renji!" he shouted, more to interrupt Yoruichi's story than to actually greet the man. The women turned around and flashed the redhead wide smiles. Renji replied with an equally wide grin, flashing his sharp canines as he leant down to hug both the women.

"Long time no see Renji" Neliel laughed and pecked a kiss on the man's cheek. Yoruichi did the same, though her eyes lingered on the man's face for longer, and she licked her lips after kissing him. Now Renji could understand why Ichigo had felt so awkward with these two ladies.

"How are you ladies" he asked as he sat down next to Ichigo, placing his hand on the young man's thigh under the table. Ichigo was quick to take his hand into his own and squeezed it lightly, throwing a grateful glance at the man.

"We're both fine, just fine, we happened to just meet Ichigo here and decided to come and say hi" Neliel said, eyeing the two men slowly. She then exchanged glances with Yoruichi who nodded and they both rose from the table.

"You don't have to leave because of me" Renji was quick to say, though he felt Ichigo kick him in the shins under the table.

"No no, we've traumatized young Ichigo here quite enough for one day" Yoruichi laughed and flicked her hair over her shoulder, "but it was nice seeing you Renji. You take good care of him." With a shared giggle, the women turned around and walked out, hands linked from the elbow.

Renji frowned and threw a curious look at Ichigo.

"Did you tell them something?"

"No, do you think they gave me a chance to say anything?" the young man scoffed and leaned back on his chair, sighing out of relief, "I don't think I'll ever want to go see a stripper now."

"Well that's too bad, 'cause I was just thinking that I have the day off so we could go do something fun together" Renji grinned, pinching Ichigo's thigh. The young man jumped up on his chair and had to bite down on his lip to muffle the squeal that almost got out of his mouth. He glared at Renji who was chuckling silently, his broad shoulders jumping up and down.

"Ha ha, real funny" he muttered and rubbed his thigh. The redhead ceased his laughter and looked at Ichigo with gentle eyes. Suddenly he wrapped his arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer, smacking a kiss on his cheek. The young man froze and then blushed, lowering his head so Renji couldn't see his face. The redhead laughed and grabbed hold of Ichigo's chin, turning his head towards him so he could see the shy smile on his lips. _Now that's what I've wanted to see all day, _he thought and smiled back, this time pressing their lips together into a gentle kiss. Ichigo answered to the kiss shyly, like he always did both then encouraged himself to move his hands to Renji's waist, slipping them inside his jacket to feel the warmth of the man's skin under his touch. Renji moaned approvingly and slid his own hand to the young man's neck, pulling him closer to deepen the kiss. Ichigo still complied but then gently pushed him back, though Renji just moved his mouth lower to nibble on his jaw and neck.

"Renji, people are staring" Ichigo muttered at him, his eyes darting around the café and his blush deepening as he realized the crowd they had. Finally the redhead pulled back with a wolfish grin on his face. Ichigo had to admit that smile made butterflies fly in his stomach and his pulse quickened even more, the kiss and the man's touches had already gotten his heart racing.

"Maybe we should leave" he continued, chuckling lightly at the situation.

"Sounds fine to me" Renji smirked and got up, drawing Ichigo along with him. He yelled goodbye to the cashier as they walked out, Ichigo mumbling a quick thank you before the door slam shut behind them.

"You are not fit to be in public places" he scolded the redhead once they were outside, walking towards the biggest shopping centre. Renji chuckled and glanced at the young man, his hand snaking around his waist.

"At least not when I'm with you" he murmured into his ear and nibbled on his earlobe, making Ichigo bite down on his lip again.

"You're doing that on purpose" he hissed back, but didn't pull away. The redhead's eyes glinted with mischief.

"I don't usually kiss people by accident."

"Yeah right" Ichigo scoffed, "like that time you accidentally almost made out with Uryuu, or at least tried to. The poor guy was scared shitless." Renji frowned as he tried to recall that event.

"Oh yeah, that was one weird night" he said as the memory finally came to him. He uttered a laugh and squeezed on Ichigo's side.

"You should've been there to stop me, boke."

"Believe me I tried, me and Orihime. But you were pretty adamant on giving Uryuu 'the taste of manliness' that night." Renji cringed at the words as more images flooded into his mind.

"I did really say that, didn't I?" Ichigo nodded and grinned.

"Yep, you definitely did."

"Pfft, goddamn alcohol, always getting me into trouble…" the redhead cursed and shook his head, "I should know better by know, that's not the only stupid thing I've done while drunk."

"You're right about that" the young jeered, "remember when you tried to drink Ikkaku and Yumichika under the table and ended up puking on the bar? You got thrown out of that place so quick you didn't even realize it until I tried to walk you home."

"Alright alright, so I've done some stupid things while drunk, everybody does that."

"Yeah, the difference is most people learn their limits and don't do the same mistakes over and over and over…" Renji cut Ichigo short by tugging his fingers between the young man's ribs.

"Shut it Berry, I'm not the only one who's done stupid things under the influence. Wanna recall that night at Orihime's birthday when you insisted on trying on one of her dresses?" Ichigo's face fell and he muttered something about stupid redheads as they entered the huge shopping centre.

The shopping centre was packed full of people, all rushing past each other with arms full of bags. Renji and Ichigo squeezed past the pressure of bodies and made it to a record store, starting to browse through the shelves of records. Occasionally the other presented a record to the other, getting either an excited response or 'got that'. They spent almost an hour there, first moving separately through the store and then pairing up again, Renji looming over Ichigo's shoulder as the young man shifted through the rows of albums. The redhead would reach over his shoulder or under his arm to snatch himself an album he fancied and if Ichigo didn't know it, he got a long lecture about the band's history, top hits, best gigs and best-known scandals. If any of the members had died, Renji would know how and when and who had replaced them, if anyone.

"You have way too much free time" Ichigo chuckled after Renji had finished telling him about how one bass player had driven down from a cliff after a night filled with cocaine and strippers. The redhead snorted and tousled his orange locks.

"You know loads of medical stuff I could never remember. It just depends on what you're interested in, simple as that" he said, peering over his shoulder as Ichigo continued on flipping through the records, "like some people can quote Shakespeare on every occasion and know what play it's from, who's saying it and to whom. The human brain is a brilliant thing, Berry." To make his point he poked Ichigo on the back of his head, almost making him hit his forehead on the shelf.

"When you said harass in public I didn't think you meant like this" he grunted as he rubbed his assaulted head. The corners of Renji's mouth turned down and he gazed at Ichigo with dewy eyes. The sight of a grown man whose face was filled with tattoos trying to look like a begging child was too ridiculous to look at without laughing so Ichigo just nudged him on the shoulder shaking his head and moved to another shelf. The redhead chuckled and followed suit, staring openly at Ichigo's ass as he walked behind the young man. He couldn't help the stupid grin that kept spreading to his face every time Ichigo looked at him or touched him in passing, reminding him with every word and caress that he belonged to him. Renji knew he was being like a teenager with his first crush but didn't care, Ichigo made him too happy to care about that.

After the record store they headed into the bookshop, Ichigo had to get some books for his studies and stationery. Renji headed for the humour section as Ichigo went looking for medical journals. The redhead started to whistle quietly to himself as he meandered pass the books, sliding his fingers across the backs of the novels. He glanced around the shop every other minute to see if Ichigo was already done with his business but the young man had disappeared somewhere between the high shelves. Finally he went out to look for him, moving between the shelves silently like a secret agent. He even started humming the theme to 'Mission Impossible' in his head as he ducked down behind the shelves. Eventually he saw the familiar lithe figure that was crouching down in front of some leather-bound notebooks. The redhead skulked behind him and quickly wrapped his arms around the young man, scooping him off the ground with a loud yelp.

"Renji, what the hell…" Ichigo half yelled and half laughed as the redhead spun him around in the air before setting him back down to the floor. Renji pressed face into the crook of Ichigo's neck and kissed the sensitive skin, silencing the young man effectively.

"Renji, not in public" he protested quietly but instinctively craned his neck to the other side to expose more skin for the redhead to grace with his mouth.

"Then let's go somewhere that's private" he murmured against Ichigo's skin, making him inhale sharply and then clear his throat awkwardly.

"Right now?" he asked, looking around to see if anyone was watching.

"Why not?" Renji said, his other hand snaking under Ichigo's shirt, making his cheeks turn red once again.

"Stop that" he muttered but didn't try to pull away. Renji smiled and stole a kiss from Ichigo's lips as his fingers brushed against the skin of his abdomen.

"Let's go to my place" he murmured and tugged him towards the exit.

"I…I have to pay for these" Ichigo gestured to the books and pencils he was still holding. Renji rolled his eyes and sighed, reluctantly removing his hands and taking a step back.

"Okay, I'll go wait outside, see you there." He nudged Ichigo on the cheek with his knuckles before walking out, leaving the young man stand there with a flushed face and hitched breath.

Five minutes later when Ichigo walked out with a bag full of books Renji sneaked up on him from the side, making him jump in the air.

"Jesus Renji, why do you have to keep scaring me" he groaned as they started walking towards the exit. The redhead laughed and rested his hands on his belt.

"'Cause it's so funny, seeing your eyes go all wide and you scream like a girl."

"I do not" the young man protested and smacked Renji on his arm, "stupid ape."

"And you love it" the redhead smirked and again wrapped his arm around Ichigo's hips, pulling him close. Ichigo could smell the mixture of Renji's aftershave and motor oil on him, the manliest scent he had felt in ages. A stray strand of his crimson hair had fallen from his ponytail and tickled Ichigo's nose as they walked side by side into the cold air again.

The young man suddenly realized they were actually going to Renji's apartment and would be totally alone, of the first time in ages they wouldn't have to worry about nosy family members or random ex boyfriends barging in a the worst moments possible. He glanced at Renji from the corner of his eye and felt a smile tugging the corners of his lips. He leaned his head against the redhead's shoulder, inhaling his scent into his lungs. The man looked at him with raised eyebrows but then smirked and ruffled his hair again, planting a kiss on his forehead.

"Feeling good?" he murmured to Ichigo, who just nodded as he nuzzled his head against Renji's shoulder.

"Good" he said, "good."

It took them about fifteen minutes to get to Renji's flat. He remembered he hadn't even been there since Grimmjow had collapsed in his garage. _Feels like it happened ages ago, _he thought, though it was only yesterday. He opened the door and stepped inside the darkened apartment, turning on the lights as he shook off his jacket.

"I haven't been here in a while" Ichigo said as he closed the door behind him. He threw his own coat onto the couch as Renji had disappeared into the kitchen.

"You want coffee or something?"

"No thanks I'm good" the young man said as he walked to the small kitchen. The redhead was rummaging through the drawers looking for something, seemingly not finding it. Finally he gave up, slamming the drawers close and started to go through the cupboards to make coffee.

"I'm having a cup or two if you don't mind."

"No no, go ahead" Ichigo said and sat down on the small dinner table, lacing his fingers together and propping his chin on them. He watched as Renji bustled around his kitchen, finding a clean cup and measuring few spoonfuls of instant coffee into it, then putting on the kettle. He cringed at the mere sight of the instant coffee. Renji glanced at him over his shoulder with a grin, wiggling the packet to his direction.

"You sure you don't want any?" The young man shook his head adamantly and folded his arms across his chest.

"What happened to the coffee I gave you?"

"I drank it all."

"Already? It's been like a week!"

"I need my caffeine" the redhead shrugged, "and it only got worse once I had some coffee you could actually drink without gagging so I blame you."

"Tsk, of course, trying to do something nice and this is how I get repaid" Ichigo huffed and threw his head back. He didn't have time to pout for long when he saw Renji's face looking down at him, standing behind him. The man's red hair poured down over his shoulders and tickled Ichigo's face, making him sneeze. The older man laughed and cupped his face, bending down to kiss him.

"You're too cute to be true" he murmured with a grin, knowing full well Ichigo hated being called cute. And as expected, he tried to scoff at him but the effect was diminished by the fact Renji's lips were still locked with his.

"Your water's boiled" Ichigo said instead, parting his lips just so that Renji could glide his tongue into his mouth. He slid his hands down Ichigo's chest to his abdomen, grabbing the hem of his shirt and raising it up. Ichigo instinctively raised his arms up when Renji tugged the shirt off him, leaving his upper body bare. The redhead latched his lips onto the young man's shoulders, his hand roaming over the tanned skin. Ichigo tried to say something but the feeling of Renji's mouth and tongue and hands on his skin was too much for his brain to function normally. He could only manage to moan and make some kind of keening sounds as the man's hands dropped lower to his thighs and brushed over his groin. Renji's own clothes chaffed against his naked skin, the friction making everything feel even more sensual.

Renji's mouth was planting kisses on Ichigo's neck when the young man grabbed hold of his hands.

"Something wrong?" the man asked him. Ichigo couldn't answer right away, first he had to clear his throat and try to steady his breathing.

"I just thought…maybe we should take this…to the bedroom" he finally managed to say, a small smile playing on his lips. Renji's face split into an almost predatory grin as he took a step back to let Ichigo get up from his chair. He took hold of his hand and led him to his bedroom. The room was already quite dark, the curtains were closed and neither of them bothered to turn on the lights. Ichigo kicked the door close behind him just before Renji's arms were all over him again, pressing him against the man's muscular chest. His own hands found the hem of his shirt and pulled it off him, revealing the intriguing lines of the black tattoos that embellished the redhead's body. No matter how many times Ichigo had seen them he always felt like they had somehow changed from what they were before, like they were actual living things instead of inked pictures.

Ichigo flattened his hands against Renji's chest, sliding them up to his shoulders and down his arms, feeling the muscles move under the skin and the slightly raised lines of the tattoos under his fingers. He felt Renji's nose nudging against his forehead and raised his head, his eyes moving from the man's chest to his face. His white teeth seemed almost glowing in the dark room just before he pressed his lips against Ichigo's, the man's hands settling to the small of his back and behind his neck. His body was warm and firm, it felt so familiar and safe to be held in his arms.

Renji's scent brought to his mind an array of memories along the years, making him chuckle to himself at the absurdity and the same time the naturalness of the situation. Before he had thought he couldn't possibly ever touch his best friend like this but now that he did, it was the best feeling he'd ever had. He didn't feel the awkwardness that was so fixed part of first sexual encounters with a person but instead he just felt safe and cherished. He wondered if Renji felt the same or did he feel bad for seducing his friend.

"What's so funny?" the redhead asked when Ichigo's body shook from laughter.

"Nothing, it's just so funny."

"What is?"

"You of course, boke" the young man chuckled and kissed Renji again, taking his lower lip into his mouth and sucked on it gently, pulling it slightly. Renji's hand was buried into his hair and ran along his skull, noting the soft texture of the orange locks as they passed through his fingers.

"I'll show you funny" he murmured as he took few steps back until his legs touched the edge of the bed. He dropped down, his face on level with Ichigo's abdomen and his hands moved to his belt, starting to unbuckle it.

"I don't know what's so funny about my manly parts" the young man snorted as he leaned his hands on Renji's shoulders.

"The fact that you call them manly parts?" the redhead offered, sniggering as he pulled Ichigo's jeans down to his ankles, "you still have your shoes on."

"Oh, right…" the young man started to hop on one foot to try and take off his shoes. Renji leaned back on the bed, propping himself up on his elbows as he watched his boyfriend's failed attempts to get rid of his shoes while his jeans were pooled around his ankles. He kicked off his own shoes with ease, making them fly across the room and hit the wall, almost scraping Ichigo as he still hopped around on one foot. The young man threw a glare at the redhead who was lounging on the bed with that wide smirk on his face again.

"You're not really doing yourself any favours right now" he groaned as he untied the knots on his shoes, managing to finally take off one. Renji cackled as Ichigo moved onto the other shoe, this time succeeding to take it off more quickly than before.

"Yeah right, like you're gonna walk out now, just as you finally took off your shoes" he grinned, "you'd have to put them on again." Ichigo hemmed and kicked off his jeans too, standing in the middle of the room only in his briefs now. Renji lifted himself up from the bed and reached his hand to him, gesturing him to come closer. Ichigo swallowed, suddenly the realization of what he was really going to do hit him again. He closed the distance between them with few hesitant steps before Renji's hand reached to take hold of his and pull him on the bed next to him.

"You're nervous Berry" he said as Ichigo tried to make himself comfortable but only felt awkward and just stopped, letting out a nervous laughter.

"It's okay, I'm nervous too" Renji said and pulled their bodies together.

"You're still wearing your jeans" Ichigo said quietly, placing his hands on the man's hips and feeling the hard fabric.

"Well you can probably help me with that" the redhead grinned and planted a kissed the tip of Ichigo's nose.

"Why me" he sighed but started to fumble open the man's belt. His hands were shaking slightly and his palms were sweaty, making the simple task hundred times more difficult. Also he was distracted by Renji noticeable arousal that he could feel pressing against his thigh. _He's not probably even wearing underwear, stupid ape…_Finally he managed to open the buckle and then moved on to the zipper, which was easier to undo than the belt. Renji helped him to peel the jeans off his skin, to Ichigo's surprise revealing that he was wearing underwear after all. Just as Renji moved his hand to the waist of the underwear a shrill ringing broke the expectant silence, making them both freeze. Ichigo's head whipped to the direction of his jeans that were discarded on the floor.

"Please, don't…" Renji began.

"It's my dad's ringtone, it might be important" the young man interrupted as he scrambled off the bed. A wave of nervousness and nausea coursed through Renji as the image of Grimmjow lying in a hospital bed in the clinic emblazed itself on his mind. He sat up on the bed as Ichigo fumbled for his phone from the pockets, raising it to his ear.

"Hi dad, yeah what is it?" Renji tried to interpret the expressions on Ichigo's face as his father spoke to him from the other end of the line.

"He what? Are you sure?" Now Renji got nervous, his hands wrung themselves together on his lap as he tried to hold back from interrupting the call.

"Okay, we'll leave now. Call me if he comes back." Ichigo hung up and immediately started to dress.

"What, what is it?" Ichigo stopped for a second to look at Renji, and he could see from his eyes that something had gone terribly wrong. Again.

"Grimmjow's gone, he's not in the clinic. Dad said if we don't find him soon he might not make it for long." Renji didn't think twice as he jumped up from the bed and scrambled for his clothes from the floor.

"My car keys are on the table near the door, you take them and get the car. I have to make some calls." Ichigo was going to ask if Renji was serious, he never let anyone else touch his car but then could see that the man was dead serious. The young man just nodded and put on his shoes, leaving the shoelaces untied this time as he ran out of the door. Renji muttered curses under his breath as he took out his phone from the pocket of his jeans and tapped in a number. _Grimmjow, you goddamn idiot, you never fucking change._

"Hey, Kisuke, listen, I know I'm in no position to ask you anything but I really need a favour…"

Ichigo was already starting to car in the garage when Renji bolted in and jumped into the car, still holding the phone to his ear. Ichigo didn't say anything still, just waited and listened as Renji spoke quickly to someone on the other end.

"I know you don't like him but please, do this for me" he said as he put on his seatbelt, "I've never asked anything from you. Well much at least. Byakuya, I beg you, he might die." Ichigo raised his eyebrows, Renji was really pulling all the stops if he was begging his ex to help them.

"Thanks, you're a saint." He hung up the phone and urged Ichigo to drive out from the garage.

"Do you have any idea where he might've gone?" Renji's expression was dark.

"I have an idea, but I really hope that I'm wrong." _But knowing him, he really is that stupid. And quite possibly already dead._

* * *

_The suspense is killing me. Mainly because it's so bad. Happy New Year to everyone, hope I didn't spoil the rest of this year with this mess. _


	20. Put It Down To Fate

**Warning for violence and dead bodies everywhere. This story has taken a really weird turn towards the end. Hence the need for rewriting! Maybe the next time round this all will make some sense. But for now enjoy the complete weirdness. And all the blood.**

**Put It Down To Fate**

Ichigo raced along the streets as Renji next to him talked to his phone and gave him instructions. This time he was talking to Orihime, hoping she could get hold of Ulquiorra.

"Okay, thanks Hime, let me know what he says, okay? Bye."

"Why would Orihime know where Ulquiorra is?" Ichigo asked as they went through an intersection.

"Didn't I tell you, left here" Renji said, "Hime and Uryuu are through, she's seeing Ulquiorra now." Ichigo almost drove over an old man crossing the road when he for a second mistook gas for the break.

"Sorry!" he yelled and waved his hand at the man before throwing a curious look at Renji, "say that again please."

"Look, we don't the time right now to go into detail, but I saw Hime this morning and she told me how she and Uryuu have drifted apart or something like that and Ulquiorra's been seeing her at the café and apparently is actually quite a nice guy so don't worry about it now and concentrate on not killing people, this is my car remember?" Ichigo shook his head as he changed gear and turned a corner.

"She trusts people too easily" he muttered, "Uryuu's the nicest guy I know, why would they break up?"

"Well apparently Uryuu's got a new girl as well, someone from college so don't feel sorry for him either."

"Right" Ichigo huffed as he stepped on the gas, "Christ, what else's gonna happen today, it's hardly past noon."

"Where are we going anyway?" Ichigo asked after they had driven halfway across town.

"Grimmjow once took me here, I think we should find the gang's headquarters here." Ichigo frowned.

"Why would he take you there? You weren't associated in the gang, were you?" The young man was beginning to feel this wasn't such a good idea to drive straight to the gang's headquarters. They weren't actually known for their hospitality. Before Renji could answer his phone rang.

"Renji. Yeah Ulquiorra hey, did Hime tell you about…Yeah, we're just driving there…Me and Ichigo, why would…Why, he's not gonna go far in his condition? Well how fast can you get here? Go right" he instructed before turning his attention back to the call. They were now on the outskirts of the town, driving through the rundown suburbs.

"So you're going there already? Do you know if your boss is there right now?" Renji gestured with his hand to urge Ichigo turn left, "okay, we'll wait for you outside, maybe we'll catch him before he even gets there." Renji hung up the phone and sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Is he coming here too?" Ichigo asked as he slowed down, they were now driving around in a very barren looking neighborhood.

"He's on his way" Renji said, "let's leave the car here and continue on foot." _I just hope we get to him first. _

"If it's just his own gang's headquarters why would he be in danger? You'd think it would be the best place for him to be."

"Shinji's gang patrols here every now and then, and Grimmjow's in no shape to protect himself. If they see him they might take him down for good" the redhead explained as they got out of the car. Ichigo threw the keys to him and again thought again telling Renji about Shinji's visit. He wasn't sure if it would help with the current situation at all, he didn't want to risk getting into a fight with him just now over nothing.

"Kisuke said he'd call me if anyone he knows sees Grimmjow anywhere, and Byakuya said the same…Though if he wants to be unseen he can do that too" Renji mumbled more to himself than to Ichigo as they walked down the street. There wasn't a living soul on sight, just a few stray cats sitting on trash cans in an alleyway.

"How did he even get out of the clinic, wasn't your dad at home?" Renji asked Ichigo. The young man shrugged.

"He's a busy man, he can't keep an eye on him all the time…Apparently he had gone out through the window, which as locked and high up on the wall, he shouldn't have been able to even manage to get out from that in his condition" he said, scratching the back of his head, "he's one tough bastard."

"You said it" Renji concurred and looked around, trying to remember to specific building Grimmjow had took him to that one time.

"Are sure it's safe for us to be here?" Ichigo asked, his eyes darting around the seemingly empty neighborhood, "I don't wanna get caught up in the middle of a gang fight." The redhead patted his arm.

"Don't worry, if they're with Shinji they probably recognize you and leave us alone and if they're with Grimmjow they'll recognize me and hopefully leave us alone."

"You don't sound very reassuring."

"That's the best I can do at this situation, sorry." They skulked along the street, Ichigo glancing over his shoulder as if waiting for someone to jump from the trash can and stab him in the back. Renji was straining his memory to find the right building and at the same time looked for clues of Grimmjow presence. _I wonder if he's still bleeding, maybe he's left a trail of blood behind or something, _he thought, _like some gruesome Hansel and Gretel imitation. _Suddenly he stopped in front of an old two-story house, almost making Ichigo walk straight into him.

"This is it" he said before the young man had to the chance to complain.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, positive." Ichigo eyed the building critically. It didn't look like the headquarters of an evil organization that ran the town's underworld. _Guess that would be too obvious. _

"So what are we gonna do now?" he whispered to Renji, not even sure why.

"I'm not sure" the redhead hissed back. He didn't want to barge in in case some of Grimmjow's friends were inside, they probably wouldn't appreciate their surprise visit. The best option seemed to be to just wait for Ulquiorra.

"Maybe we could try to go round and see if we could find a window or something so we could see inside" Ichigo suggested. The front windows were sealed with planks and plastic canvases so they couldn't see anything from there.

"Okay, but stick with me, I don't wanna lose you here." They went around the house, ducking down so people inside couldn't see them. Ichigo felt bit scared and ridiculous at the same time, it was possible that there was no one here but if there was, it was quite possible that they would end up in the same condition as Grimmjow. Not a lucrative future prospect.

They went around the back of the building, dodging empty trash cans and other rubbish on their way. They couldn't hear any sounds from inside the house and were beginning to think that they were perhaps being overly cautious. Just that moment Renji's phone rang, scaring them both to jumping up in the air. Ichigo exhaled heavily and leaned his hand to the wall next to him as Renji fumbled for the phone and answered it, speaking in hushed tones.

"Ulquiorra? Yeah, we found the house, we're just going round the back…We haven't seen or heard anything yet so….The basement?" The men exchanged meaningful looks, of course they wouldn't hear anything if the people inside were in the basement.

"You're going there? Okay, we'll wait…Hey, what is that noise? Hey? Hey, Ulquiorra, what…"

"Renji, it's coming from the street!" Ichigo hissed and grabbed the man's arm to wrench the phone off his ear. The redhead listened and then they heard the distinct sound of tires squeaking against the asphalt.

"Ulquiorra, are you okay?" The men listened to the sounds that came down the line. It sounded like the phone was thrown away and then rustling noises, and a distinct clicking sound.

"Holy fuck" Ichigo huffed and whipped around to see back to the street. He saw just a glimpse of a man walking down the street holding something in his hand when Renji grabbed his arm and pulled him down behind the trash cans. Second later they heard a gunshot cut through the air, then three more. The phone in Renji's hand was quiet besides the muttering sound of a silent line. They heard someone shouting and then running steps, more shouting.

"Renji" Ichigo whispered, "do you think he's…" Then man shook his head.

"Don't say anything yet" he ordered and stared at the phone in his hand. They heard the commotion continuing but no more gunshots. Then the sound of glass breaking reached their ears, making Ichigo wince. Seconds after that the crackle of multiple gunshots drowned everything else under it, making Renji and Ichigo stop breathing altogether. The redhead instinctively wrapped his arms around Ichigo, covering his ears. Everything went quiet after few seconds and then nothing. Just when the men started breathing again a voice called from the phone, making the both jump again.

Renji raised the phone to his ear, hesitant to answer at first.

"He…hello?"

"Renji, you still there?" Renji wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or scared upon hearing Ulquiorra's monotone voice again.

"Yeah, we're here. What the hell happened out there?"

"Some unexpected obstacles came to my way, nothing major."

"Are you okay, we heard gunshots" Ichigo cut in.

"Nothing I can't bear. I'd advise you to stay put, they're probably coming back any moment now."

"Who they? Was Shinji waiting for you?" Ulquiorra didn't answer, they heard him walking and then some painful groans from the background.

"Wait there, I'll try to find out if they already got Grimmjow or if he got here safely." The call was hung up and the men turned their heads towards the street again.

"Did he…did he kill them?" Ichigo asked with his mouth feeling suddenly dry. Renji shook his head.

"Probably not, he needs information first."

"First?" Ichigo shouted, earning a sharp nudge between his ribs.

"Quiet" the redhead hissed but the young man was already getting up.

"He can't just kill them" he snarled and turned to run to the street, Renji scrambling up behind him.

"Ichigo, don't be an idiot! They have guns, they'll kill you…For fuck's sake!" the man had to run after Ichigo to stop him from getting caught in the crossfire.

As Ichigo reached the street corner he was greeted for a gruesome view. Ulquiorra's car was sideways on the street, with tire marks on the asphalt behind it. The windshield was gone, the bonnet and the ground was prickled with shards of glass. The burning smell of gunpowder was almost tangible with the faint scent of blood mixed with it. Ulquiorra himself was standing beside the car, pointing his gun at a man lying in the ground. The man bled profusely from a wound on his side and was making a constant keening sound of pain. Ulquiorra's posture was slouching to his right side, his left leg was stained with blood that made his trousers stuck to his skin. Ichigo scanned the rest but couldn't see anyone else there, but there was a trail of blood that started just few meters away and went up the street.

"Ulquiorra, stop!" Ichigo shouted and started to run towards the man. He raised his eyes up from the man on the ground but kept his gun aimed at his head. Ichigo realized that the multiple gunshots had been shot by him, the weapon he was holding was an Uzi.

"I told you to stay put" he said in a cold tone that sounded even more emotionally detached than normally, if such was even possible.

"You can't just kill them" the young man pleaded as he came closer and slowed down, not wanting to provoke the man. The wounded man on the ground groaned and craned his neck to see Ichigo. The young man didn't recognize him and was partly relieved.

"Ichigo don't move" a voice called from behind him and then the now too familiar sound of a gun being cocked made his skin crawl. Ulquiorra stared somewhere behind his head, now completely still. Ichigo turned slowly around and saw Shinji standing few meters away from him, holding a gun in his hand. The barrel was pointed at Ulquiorra and Ichigo realized he was directly in the way. From the corner of his eye he could see Renji standing against the wall in the alleyway, just outside of Shinji's sight. His heart was pounding so hard he was sure it could be heard by everyone, his legs felt weak and he feared they'd collapse from under him any time soon. Shinji and Ulquiorra were staring at each other, not moving a muscle.

"Why are you here Ichigo" the blonde man asked him, still aiming the gun at the man behind him. Ichigo's hands balled into fists to calm himself down. He glanced at Renji who had raised his hand to his lips, slowly crouching towards Shinji. _Oh God, don't do it please please…_

"Here? I was just…hanging around" he babbled, trying to buy time. Shinji wasn't having it.

"Yeah right" he scoffed, "just happened to be here."

"Look, killing anyone isn't doing to do any good" the young man tried to rationalize though at this point it was obvious the situation wouldn't be solved until someone was dead.

"I wish it was so Ichigo, I really do" Shinji said, his voice straining, "but they've driven us into the corner, this can't go on anymore." Ulquiorra shifted slightly to move his weight away from his wounded leg, making Shinji almost jump.

"Don't fucking move" he snarled between his teeth. The other man just stared at him with his huge green eyes that betrayed no emotions whatsoever. His gun was still aimed at the head of the man in the ground, who was whining in pain and coughing out blood.

"Ulquiorra, just let him go, please" Ichigo begged, turning to look at the smaller man over his shoulder. The man said nothing, just kept the Uzi aimed at the wailing man's head.

"They shot me" he finally uttered, earning a high-pitched sob from the man at his feet, "they know what they were in for."

"Oh for God's sake!" the young man shouted, "you can't be serious!"

"They missed me the first time" Ulquiorra continued, "Grimmjow wasn't so lucky." He glanced at the man on the ground. He was finally going quiet, probably from the blood loss.

"Think about Orihime" Ichigo pleaded, "she's been through enough without you getting killed here for nothing."

"The woman knows about the risks I take."

Renji was gritting his teeth at the alleyway. Shinji had his back to him, standing just few feet away. He could easily tackle him if he wanted to but his gun might go off and hit Ichigo. _Where the hell is Grimmjow? Maybe he saw all the chaos and legged it, the fucker. _He cursed Ichigo's stupid hero act, the boy was sure to get himself killed, he was the only reason Shinji hadn't shot Ulquiorra and vice versa. Suddenly Renji's phone went off again, making him quickly grab it and try to silence the ringtone so it wouldn't betray his position to the murderous blonde standing close. He glanced at the screen and his eyes widened as he saw who was calling. He glanced at Ichigo before he tried to sneak back to the alleyway, raising the phone to his ear.

"Grimm, what the fuck" he hissed into the phone, "where are you?" He had tried to call the man before but of course his phone had been turned off. He hadn't seen his phone with him at the clinic so he had figured maybe Ulquiorra had taken it with him.

"You're asking me, what the hell are you doing here" the man grunted back at him, his breathing sounded difficult, "your boyfriend is in some deep shit, the fuck you came here for?"

"You shouldn't be moving, you could die from blood loss or tearing your guts" Renji said, keeping his eyes on the exit of the alleyway, he could hear Ichigo still trying to talk his way out of the situation. On the other end he heard Grimmjow curse and then draw in a sharp breath.

"You fucking idiots, you're going to get killed for being so goddamn stupid" he snarled, "you should've figured out I didn't want you to come after me, I didn't want to involve in all of this in the first place! And now you've fucked it all up!"

"Quit your whining and help me get Ichigo the fuck out of here, I don't think Shinji's gonna wait for much longer and Ulquiorra is already wounded, you gotta help us" Renji said and cringed as he heard Shinji shouting something.

"For fuck's sake…" Grimmjow muttered and Renji heard the phone click as the man hung up on him.

"Shit" he cursed and slowly crouched closer to the street. Ichigo was still standing between the men, the wounded man on the ground had probably passed out since he was quiet and not moving. Ulquiorra's face had turned even paler than usual, there was a small pool of blood in his feet. _He won't last long now._

"Shinji, you don't have to do this" Ichigo was still trying to plead though it was clear this situation wouldn't be solved by logic.

"Stop it Ichigo, just shut up!" the blonde man shouted, his hand holding the gun was now shaking a little.

Renji's mouth felt dry as he tried to figure out whether Ulquiorra would shoot Shinji if he would tackle the man to the ground before he accidentally shot Ichigo. Before he had the chance to play hero, someone kicked open the door of the building next to him. All the men turned to look both neither Shinji nor Ulquiorra moved their aim. A bloodied and battered Grimmjow was leaning heavily on the doorframe, seemingly unarmed. Despite the fact he had apparently ruptured all his stitches, was bleeding profusely and his legs were visibly shaking under him he was still wearing his trademark shit-eating grin on his face. He eyed the scene in front of him and chuckled, then tried to push himself off the doorframe and shuffle towards Ulquiorra.

"Don't move you shithead!" Shinji shouted, his voice cracking under the stress. Grimmjow merely glanced at him and dragged himself next to Ulquiorra, ignoring the man on the ground.

"Shouldn't you be aiming at that son of a bitch instead of this dead guy" the blunette asked Ulquiorra. Too bad Shinji heard what he said.

"He's…he's dead?" he said, his hand sinking lower. Renji held his breath, ready to throw the man into the ground. Then the blonde man snapped his head up and almost growled, his eyes blazing with fury. He raised his arm back up and pulled the trigger.

"No!" both Renji and Ichigo shouted at the same time, the redhead jumping from his hideout and tackling Shinji to the ground but the shot had already been fired.

"Get off me!" the blonde man yelled and tried to kick him away but Renji was heavier and stronger than him and easily kept him pinned to the ground. He grabbed the man's arm and wrenched the weapon off him, throwing it to the alleyway. Once he was sure Shinji didn't have any other weapons on him he turned his head slowly to see if anyone had been hit by the bullet. His heart stopped when he saw Ichigo lying on the ground, Ulquiorra had apparently pushed Grimmjow to the ground behind him. He quickly scrambled off Shinji and made it to Ichigo, feeling panic rise inside him.

"Oh god please no" he mumbled as he pulled the young man into his arms, his eyes darting around his body to look for a bullet wound. He heard Ulquiorra and Grimmjow talk to each other and then dragging steps coming towards him. Grimmjow crouched next to him with some difficulty. He drew in a breath between his teeth and groaned, leaning his hand to the ground. Even then Renji could see blood trickling along his arm.

"Is he alright" he managed to rumble, Renji could hear he was struggling with every word. In his arms Ichigo stirred, wincing slightly as he tried to get up. Renji sighed of relief and pulled the young man to his chest, swallowing down sobs that tried to push through.

"Renji, you're strangling me" Ichigo wheezed and patted the man on the back.

"Shut up you idiot" he replied, "you have no right to complain." He heard Ulquiorra walk to them, still holding the Uzi in his hand. He stared at Shinji who was getting up from the ground and raised his gun at him.

"Bad idea pal" Grimmjow grunted and tried to get up, only to almost crash on top of Renji and Ichigo as his feet failed under him.

"My words exactly" a voice said behind them and yet another gunshot cut the air. Ulquiorra tottered and pressed his hand to his chest, raised to his face and saw it was stained it blood. Another gunshot and Grimmjow fell at Renji's feet, blood blossoming between his shoulder blades. Ulquiorra dropped slowly to his knees, then fell back silently, his expression staying solemn as ever and eyes staring straight up to the sky. Renji and Ichigo couldn't move a muscle, they just stared at the unmoving bodies beside them and the blood that seeped into the asphalt. The men didn't even complain, just lay there.

The sound of footsteps came close and then stopped by the man who had been shot before. He was kicked slightly between the ribs and then another shot was fired, making the body jerk. Renji pressed his eyes shut and tightened his grip around Ichigo, he felt how the young man's fingers were grabbing to his shirt. Behind them Shinji was scrambling on the ground, trying to reach his gun.

"Another bad idea" Aizen said as he walked towards Renji and Ichigo. The redhead cursed their helplessness, they were like sitting ducks in this situation. He didn't even dare to look at the man who was quickly closing the distance between them. Finally he forced his eyes open and looked up at the man standing beside Ulquiorra's body, nudging his arm with the tip of his shoe. Apparently he was satisfied with the man's state since he didn't shoot him again and then turned his attention to the two men groveling next to Grimmjow's lifeless body. Ichigo had shifted in Renji's arms so he was covering most of the man's body with his own, acting like a human shield. Aizen stared down at them with a lazy smile playing on his lips though his eyes were cold and calculating. He raised his hand that was holding the gun and waved at them.

"Hello there" he said, his voice soft and calm, nothing like one would expect from a man who had just shot three people. _This man's a clear psychopath, _Renji thought and his arms tightened around Ichigo's body. The man's eyes moved above their heads to look at Shinji who had stopped moving for a second. They could hear his labored breathing and figured they sounded exactly the same.

"Renji" Ichigo whispered, nearly inaudibly and turned his head ever slightly towards the man, "I'm sorry for everything."

"No, I'm sorry for dragging you into this" the redhead hushed back, pressing his forehead against Ichigo's, "this is a shitty way to go."

"I know" Ichigo said and managed to flash a quick, pathetic smile that came from the realization he might die during the next few seconds. He grabbed Renji's arm and leaned his head against the man's chest.

"I'm glad it's you who's here with me" he murmured. Aizen turned his eyes back to them and hemmed, shaking his head a little.

"How lovely" he said in a mocking tone, cocking his gun again, "I do always enjoy doing some collateral damage." At Renji's feet Grimmjow suddenly spewed out blood and tried to raise himself up on his healthy arm. The man sighed and rolled his eyes, pressing his legs against the gunshot wound on Grimmjow's back. The man grunted from the pain but still tried to get up.

"How's he still alive" Ichigo breathed out.

"Fuck you Aizen" Grimmjow grumbled, every word laden with pain, "you should've shot me in the head and be done with it, now you've just pissed me off." The man laughed, aiming his gun at Grimmjow's head.

"That can be easily corrected" he chuckled, "though I'm little disappointed in you Grimmjow. You had such promise but then you had to spoil everything. And you even took Ulquiorra with you, tsk tsk tsk. Losing two of my closest employees is a major loss to me." Grimmjow cackled, more blood spilling to the ground and on his face.

"Sorry to be an inconvenience, motherfucker." Aizen cocked an eyebrow and leaned closer so that the barrel of the gun touched the back of Grimmjow's head.

"That's correct Grimmjow. You're nothing more than an inconvenience. Goodbye." Just before Aizen had time to pull the trigger two things happened. Ichigo lunged towards Grimmjow and pushed him out of the way. Renji leaped at Aizen, toppling him over to the ground. The gun went off and then everything was quiet.

Grimmjow groused as he laid under Ichigo, the young man trying to protect him with his own body.

"You can probably get up now kid" he grumbled. Ichigo slowly turned to look at Aizen and Renji who was holding him down to the ground. Then he heard steps coming behind them and saw Shinji walk next to the two men, with the gun in his hand, aimed at Aizen. Ichigo rolled off Grimmjow and then crawled carefully closer to Renji. He froze when Aizen stirred and pushed the redhead off of him, only now noticing the bullet wound on the man's abdomen. Shinji cocked his gun.

"It's over Aizen." The man looked at the barrel of the gun and chuckled lowly, his shirt stained with Renji's blood.

"How sweet of you Shinji" he said softly, "I'm actually curious to see whether you would be able to kill me."

"Well you're in luck then" the blonde grunted and pressed his finger on the trigger.

* * *

_Yet another cliff hanger! How cruel of me. Ignore the massive plot holes for the moment, I'll figure them out later. _


	21. Tell Me What's All This Sighing About

**Done with the blood, now on with the mushy stuff.**

**Tell Me What's All This Sighing About**

The echoes of the last gunshot still rang in Ichigo's ears when the police finally arrived. They didn't have their sirens on and only two cars came, along with the ambulances. Ichigo wasn't sure at what point they had taken Renji and the others into the ambulances and dragged Aizen's body off the street, or when he had been picked up from the ground and sat down at the back of an ambulance and given a blanket. A tall female officer with short blonde hair came to talk to him after the other ambulances had driven off, sirens blazing and lights flashing. A nurse had asked him all kinds of weird questions like was he hurt and what was his name, like any of those things mattered now.

The police officer stood in front of him looking quite authoritative and scary but actually talked with a soft, velvety voice that reminded Ichigo of his mother. Before he noticed, tears were streaming down his face. He felt so tired, he just wanted to go to sleep. The police officer took his blanket and wrapped it around him, stroking his hair gently and then gave him her name and phone number, telling him he should come over to the police station when he was feeling better. Ichigo stared at the small card which read 'Tia Harribel' and under it her number.

"We've been tracking Aizen for months now, and were about to strike in just few days from now. It's a shame it had to end like this" she said. Ichigo didn't say anything, just kept staring at the card in his hand. The officer looked at him with pity and patted him gently on the back.

"Would you like me to take you to the hospital to see your friends?" _Friends. _Ichigo wanted to argue that Renji wasn't just his friend, he was…

"Yeah" he managed to utter. The woman smiled kindly and helped him up, walking him to her police car. Another police officer was standing beside the car and raised an eyebrow to Tia but didn't say anything as the woman gave him a meaningful look and helped Ichigo to the backseat of the car.

Ichigo didn't say anything during the fifteen minute drive to the hospital. He just kept counting seconds and thought if it had taken this long for Renji to get to the hospital. Finally they stopped in front of the main doors and Tia helped Ichigo out of the car, walking him inside the building.

"Wait here" she told him and went to the reception desk. Ichigo stood in the middle of the first aid waiting room, staring ahead without seeing anything until Tia came back and took his hand again, gently pulling him to the elevators. In the elevator there was a nurse with an old man sitting in a wheelchair, with tubes going into his nose and his eyes glassed over. Ichigo stared at the man for the whole elevator trip until the doors opened and the police officer steered him out. They came to a long corridor with some chairs on the sides and doors that lead into patients' rooms. Tia sat him down into a free chair and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"He's currently in the OR but he will be brought here when he's done. Do you want me to wait with you?" Ichigo didn't say anything.

"Can I call your parents?" Ichigo mumbled something Tia didn't quite hear so she crouched down to his level to hear better.

"Could you repeat that?" Footsteps came down the hall to their direction and Tia turned to look, already her hand moving to the gun on her belt. A slim blonde man in a crumbled suit was walking towards them, waving his hand. Tia rose up and gave the man a stern look.

"What are you doing here Urahara?" The man smiled widely at the woman and did a formal bow.

"Always such a joy to see you, Tia. Your beauty is truly a gift to the world." The woman didn't seem impressed.

"Just tell me what you're doing here and I won't have to arrest you." Kisuke straightened up and pouted his lips at Tia.

"Oh Tia, such cruelty you subject me to, what have I ever done to you?"

"Besides harboring all those criminals and drug business under your roof? Don't even get me started." The man flailed his hands in front of him and apologized.

"Very well, let's spare with the pleasantries then. But really, I heard my friend had been injured and came to see him." He looked at Ichigo who hadn't even realized the man was present.

"I see young Kurosaki is in bit of a shock." Tia frowned, eyeing the two men.

"You know him? He was on the scene as well but is too fucked up to say anything." Kisuke's expression darkened, he saw the blood stains on Ichigo's clothes and knew to fear the worst.

"You just leave him to me Tia, I'll take care of this" he said, his voice suddenly more serious and authoritative. Tia opened her mouth to protest but then thought again. Though this man seemed like a walking cliché, he wasn't one to be messed with.

"Fine" she uttered, starting to walk away, "but if I find out you had anything to do with this mess Kisuke, your head is mine."

"A pleasure doing business with you as always" the man bid her as she left. He waited until he heard the elevator open and close before he sighed and ran his hands through his hair. He gazed down at Ichigo who was still staring at the wall, the blanket was drooping from his shoulders. He sat down beside him and patted him on the back.

"This is some fine mess you're in Ichigo" he said. The young man didn't respond. Kisuke fell silent too and leaned his hands to his knees, staring at the clock on the opposite wall.

After some time Byakuya Kuchiki appeared on the corridor, still wearing his business suit and his usual emotionless expression. He and Kisuke exchanged quick glances as he walked towards them. The blonde man looked at Ichigo and deciding he wasn't going anywhere for awhile, got up and walked to Byakuya. The men talked in hushed tones, Byakuya's brows furrowing deeply as Kisuke explained the events to him. Ichigo was faintly aware of the looks they gave him and that they kept mentioning him and Renji but couldn't bring himself to care enough to listen more thoughtfully. His eyes stung and his face felt wet, he could taste something salty on his lips but somehow raising his hands to wipe his face felt like being asked to move a mountain. Suddenly someone was standing right next to him and his face was being wiped with a soft napkin. He could smell the scent of cologne and cigars that was somehow familiar.

"He's in complete shock, poor boy" Kisuke sighed as Byakuya patted the young man's face clean without any resistance. He had never seen anything so pitiful and miserable in his life.

"How are the other two" Byakuya asked, crumbling the napkin in his hand. Kisuke leaned his shoulder against the wall.

"They're both in surgery. Doesn't look good for either of them, especially since Grimmjow was half-dead to begin with" he said, glancing at Ichigo to see if anything would prompt a reaction from him. Byakuya was still frowning, he couldn't see the logic in the whole thing.

"Why did he even leave the clinic in the first place? He must have known it was not safe to go running around in his state, especially in that area." Kisuke shrugged and ruffled his hair.

"As I understood it, he was almost sure he was being watched by both Shinji and Aizen and didn't want to put anyone else in danger with his mere presence, seems that he had fallen from Aizen's good grace by getting injured so severely. Knowing Aizen wouldn't shy away from killing innocent people while getting his revenge, Grimmjow wanted to go someplace else where he wouldn't have to worry about other people getting hurt. Quite the noble act if you ask me." Byakuya scoffed, he wasn't ready to believe such virtuous things about Grimmjow.

"So you say, but he must have known Renji would go after him. That man is like a stupid puppy, always running after people who were nice to him."

"Others might call that loyalty" Kisuke pointed out, "as I take it he underestimated his own injuries and was slowed down too much or then Renji and Ichigo found out faster than he had thought. The whole thing is just a huge mess."

"What did he hope to accomplish by all this? Seems like he wanted to die" Byakuya scoffed. Kisuke shrugged his shoulders again.

"That might be, but I think his first priority was to protect other people from getting hurt in the process. I take it that was the reason he left Renji, his job was getting too dangerous that he could be sure to keep him safe. He's not as bad as you seem to think." Byakuya was about to say something but then took it back, this wasn't the place to argue about trivial things like personal opinions. Maybe he had been wrong about Grimmjow but would never admit it before he was sure.

"Have you informed his father?"

"Isshin knows already, probably knew even before we did. He's still quite resourceful."

"Why didn't he stop Grimmjow from leaving, I am not buying all this being too busy to keep an eye on his patients. He is too good of a doctor for it."

"I think he understood where he was coming from. Though patients are his priority, his own family always comes first. He knows Aizen too, he didn't want to risk his own family." Byakuya pressed his fingers against his temples, closing his eyes.

"But why then did he call Ichigo and tell Grimmjow had left? He knew they would go after him and get in the harm's way."

"He also knew Renji would never forgive him if he didn't tell them. He must've waited for some time before telling them, but even he couldn't know Renji would run straight into the hornet's nest. This whole thing is just a string of bad coincidences." Byakuya opened his eyes and looked suddenly very tired.

"We should have acted earlier, now it is too late. And we have five bodies in our hands to deal with." Kisuke stepped closer and placed his hand on Byakuya's shoulder.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, only two of those are confirmed" he hushed, "the other three still have hope." Byakuya took Kisuke's hand into his own, squeezing it lightly.

"For once I hope you are right, Kisuke."

* * *

_Oh fuck it hurts. _That was the first thing in Renji's mind as he started to regain consciousness. _Feels like someone just dropped a brick wall on me. _Every single joint, muscle and tendon in his body ached, even his skin felt so tender just a waft of air hurt when it made contact with his body. He felt so heavy it was a miracle he hadn't crashed through the bed he was lying on. He thought it was a bed because it would be too cruel to put a man in this much pain on the floor. He tried to open his eyes but the effort sent waves of pain through his head and neck, along his back and down to his legs. A pained groan escaped from his lips and even that hurt his throat, his lips were cracked and burned.

He heard a clatter beside him and people speaking in hushes voices, the hissing sounds irritating his ears. He couldn't be bothered to listen enough to make sense of what they were saying and tried to close his ears from it but the sounds protruded into his consciousness anyway. He groaned again, this time louder and tried to raise his hands to his ears but someone grabbed hold of his hand as he tried to lift it. Warm, slim fingers wrapped themselves around his hand, caressing his knuckles and smoothing his arm gently.

"Renji, it's okay" a soft voice murmured to him, the warm hands still stroking his arm. _That feels nice._

"He might need more morphine" another voice said and again he heard some rustling. Soon a wave of warmth spread down his arm and from there to his whole body. Renji didn't like it at first, though it seemed to ease the pain but it still felt weird. Then it reached his neck and head. Suddenly he felt like his brain had been taken out of his head and was hovering somewhere slightly above his body, he could still feel all his limbs and such but they were somehow distant. A slow smile spread to his face, the feeling was just so relaxing and everything felt so soft he felt like staying this way forever.

"Seems to be working" the second voice said, sounding somehow amused. Now Renji dared to try and open his eyes again, slowly cracking them agape. First thing he saw was the bright, false light that stung his eyes but he didn't really care, he still felt like he was floating on clouds or cotton wool. The grip on his hand tightened a bit, it felt like the person's hand was melting into his, coming one with his own skin.

Suddenly he felt a weird itch on his arm where the warm feeling had started and made an effort to move his other hand to scratch it. It was hard though, it felt like his arm was a mile away from where it should've been. He groaned in frustration and tried to see if his arm even was there anymore. Something blocked his vision though, a large blob of orange that floated in the air above him. It looked fuzzy and warm, like a ball of liquid fire. Renji chuckled and tried to find his arm again to touch the ball. As he moved his hand it was grabbed too, same warm fingers entwining with his and melting into his skin. He was faintly aware of the stupid grin he had on his face but didn't care, he was in the clouds.

"Renji" that soft voice spoke to him again. _Maybe it's an angel, what else could be this high? Or maybe it's the sun_. A part of Renji's mind slowly acknowledged how crazy he sounded but it felt so nice regardless.

"Renji, are you okay?" He chuckled again. _Okay? I'm more than okay, this is the best feeling in the world._ It was weird how quickly you could go from being hit with a ton of bricks to floating on cotton wool.

"He has had enough morphine to keep him feeling quite dizzy for hours, he might not be feeling very social" the second voice spoke again. _How many people are there here in the clouds? It's getting crowded. And where's that ball of fire again?_

"Berry" he muttered and tried to touch the floating ball of orange again. His hand slipped from the warm grip and floated through the air until it finally came in contact with the blob of orange. It felt soft and spiky at the same time as his fingers tugged on it slightly. He smiled again, trying to say something that got lost on the way from his brain to his mouth. He felt the blob shiver under his touch and then heard some muffled sounds. The grip on his other hand tightened again and something wet dropped on his skin, trickling down his arm.

"Maybe we should leave them" a new voice spoke and then the sound of steps that went away from his direction. Suddenly it was very quiet and the space felt larger than before, the only sound was the quiet whimpering that was apparently coming from the orange blob. His hand was sunken into the soft hair, his fingers rubbing it absentmindedly. The blob kept shuddering and heaving back and forth under his touch, the rocking movement felt nice. Renji's eyes closed again, his head lolling on the pillow. His hand slowly slipped down from the orange ball of fur, his fingers brushing against something firm and soft and wet as his hand fell back to the bed. He suddenly felt tired again and it felt nice to close his eyes and just float in the soft relaxation, forgetting his body and everything around him. Slowly the voices died out and it was all quiet again.

* * *

Several hours later Ichigo felt someone nudge him on the top of his head.

"Hey, Berry, wake up." The speaker's voice was hoarse, like his throat was dry and not being used in a long time. He raised his head up from the bed, slowly remembering where he was. He batted his eyes to see clearly in the dark room, the white sheets of the hospital bed seemed to glow in the darkness. He looked down and saw he was still squeezing on Renji's hand, not feeling the whole limb since he had apparently slept on it. He tried to pry his fingers open but was stopped by the strong grip that squeezed his hand. He raised his eyes slowly along the arm that was embellished by black tattoos and was now also sporting an IV- drip on the inside of the elbow. Crimson long hair was spread all over the white pillows and sheets, surrounding Renji's head like the rays of the sun. The man's face was fixed into a lazy smile, but this time his eyes weren't glazed over like they had been hours ago under the influence of morphine.

"There you are" he croaked, his lips cracked and dry. Ichigo let out a shaky sigh, trying to control himself before he started sobbing again. His face felt tight, the salty tears from before had dried on his skin when he had fallen asleep next to his lover.

"You look like shit" Renji chuckled but then winced from the pain that shot through his torso. Ichigo quickly placed his hand on the man's chest, trying to calm him down.

"You shouldn't be moving" he said quietly, fearing he could hurt the man by just speaking too loudly. He reached his free hand to take the glass of water that was on the side table and took it to Renji's lips, urging him to drink. The man rolled his eyes but took a sip before turning his head away. Ichigo put the glass down and turned to look at the man, his eyes scanning his face trying to interpret how he was feeling. Renji chuckled lowly, his chest heaving slightly up and down.

"Don't look at me like that Berry, you make me think I've been shot to the face" he grunted.

"Well it could've been" Ichigo said, "the hell you had to go and play a hero?" Renji arched an eyebrow to him.

"Oh me? Who was it who ran in the middle of a Mexican stand off? You could've had your head blown off, you boke."

"Someone had to do something, they would've shot each other on the spot!"

"Well you intervening was the last thing they needed, now look where we are!" Renji argued and then winced again, he shouldn't had raised his voice. His abdomen felt like it was on fire. Ichigo raised the covers slightly, revealing his bound-up torso. The redhead glanced down at his body and hummed in surprise.

"Oh so that's why I feel like shit" he groaned before he let his head sunk back into the pillows.

"Do you want more morphine?" Ichigo asked, his hand ready on the IV –drip. The man shook his head.

"No, I'm fine for now…It feels good but I get too distracted, and I wanna talk with you now." Ichigo complied and sat back down, Renji's hand still squeezing his own.

"Was Byakuya here earlier?" Renji asked, trying to put together all the pieces of his hazy memory.

"Yeah, he and Kisuke came here and waited until you got out of surgery. I dunno if they're still here, they left when you came to."

"Right, right" the redhead nodded and then frowned, trying to remember what had happened before he had blacked out. He could remember holding Ichigo and Aizen pointing at them with his gun, and the bodies lying on the ground…

"Grimmjow." Ichigo's expression changed, and Renji feared the worst.

"Is he…" The young man shook his head.

"Last time I heard he was still in surgery. The doctors weren't very optimistic but considering what he's already been through he just might be strong enough to make it."

"If anyone can survive then it's Grimm alright" Renji sighed, "what about Ulquiorra? Has anyone told Orihime?"

"I don't know, Kisuke might've called her…I thought it might be best to wait until we know better."

"Yeah" Renji muttered and closed his eyes. He was feeling tired again.

"Will you stay" he murmured just as he was falling asleep. He felt Ichigo tugging on his hand, kissing his knuckles and stroking his arm.

"Yeah, I'll be here. Just rest now, will you."

* * *

Few days later there was some commotion in the hospital's corridor. The woken up patient in the private room tore his eyes off the TV- screen to the door, staring at it morosely and trying to make sense of the voices he heard outside. Apparently some nurses were trying to stop some stubborn patient who had escaped from his room, probably some old senile man who had lost his senses. They were surprisingly frequent spectacle, at least in this part the hospital. The noises were getting closer, and now he could distinct a gruff male voice that was arguing with the nurses, and another, lighter and younger male that seemed to be apologizing for the first speaker. Eventually he heard rattling on their door and it opened, and a man in a wheelchair rolled in, followed by a tired looking young man with fiery orange hair.

Ulquiorra arched an eyebrow as Renji wheeled himself further inside the room, his IV- drip hanging from a pole attached to the wheelchair. Ichigo sighed as he shut the door behind them and ran his hands through his hair. Even from here Ulquiorra could see the young man hadn't showered in a while, his usually vibrant hair was now sticking to his forehead and lopping down and he had dark circles under his eyes, he looked sleep deprived and stressed. But his face was still fixed into a constant small smile that tugged the corners of his lips, and his eyes kept following Renji as the man moved around in his wheelchair.

"Yo, Ulquiorra" the redhead greeted him cheerfully. Ulquiorra wasn't sure if the man was actually feeling good already or was it all just a drug infused high.

"Hello" he replied impassively and turned his eyes back to the TV. They were showing some weird talk show where all the people just shouted and the presenter was surely the Antichrist himself, such was his desire to cause as much misery and anger between the people as possible.

"You look well" Renji continued as he rolled next to his bed, he was wearing the standard dressing gown the hospital provided to its patients. The light blue colour looked horrible on Renji but otherwise he looked fine, considering he had been shot just days ago. Ulquiorra had no idea how he looked, he was only aware that his whole upper body was heavily bandaged and he wasn't supposed to move on his own. The only movement he was allowed was to press the buttons on his bed's remote controller. He tried to wiggle his toes every now and then just to ensure he wasn't paralyzed but the nurses had told him not to exhaust himself too much.

"You look awful" he said to Renji, throwing a glance at his dressing gown. Ichigo tried to cover his chuckle with a fake cough, earning a harsh glare from the redhead.

"Has Orihime been here to see you?" the young man asked, pulling himself a chair and sitting down at the foot of his bed.

"I told her not to."

"So she's been here every day" Renji smirked, making Ichigo's smile widen slightly.

"Yes" Ulquiorra said and turned to look at the array of flowers, plushies and get well- cards on his bedside table. _That woman is so…irrational. _Usually such a character trait in a person would've irritated Ulquiorra but somehow with Orihime…It didn't.

"At least she cares" Renji said, lacing his fingers together in his lap, "Ichigo here hasn't even brought me a measly sandwich from the cafeteria." The young man rolled his eyes in frustration.

"You can't eat solids yet, you heard the doctors."

"Yeah yeah, but I'm hungry" the man argued and rubbed his stomach, then winced in pain.

"Don't touch it, baka" Ichigo scolded him but reached his hand to touch the man's shoulder. Ulquiorra followed this exchange between the men and made a mental note of it. It was all he could do right now, observe and amuse himself with his mind.

Renji rolled back and forth with his chair, managing to make it even spin around. He flashed a huge, proud grin to Ichigo who raised his eyes towards the ceiling but smiled genuinely back at him anyway. The redhead looked at the bed next to Ulquiorra, curtains had been drawn around it so they couldn't see the patient. He looked at Ulquiorra and nodded towards the bed.

"Is he…" He didn't even need to end the sentence when Ulquiorra nodded and glanced at the bed himself.

"He's been out the whole time" he said before either of them asked. Renji's face fell and Ichigo frowned, shifting in his seat.

"Your father was here too" he continued, turning his green eyes to the young man. He looked surprised.

"He didn't say anything to me about that" he said, looking at Renji.

"Well you've been with me the whole time" the redhead said, leaning his chin to his knuckles, "he probably didn't want to talk about it while I'm there."

"Yeah, you could be right" Ichigo muttered and leaned back on his chair, folding his arms on his abdomen. Ulquiorra turned to look at the TV again. Two women were shouting at each other and a man was standing between, Ulquiorra wasn't sure if he was trying to keep the apart or make them fight.

"How have you been?" Ichigo asked him. Ulquiorra would've shrugged if he wouldn't have had stitches all across his upper body.

"As well as can be expected" he said instead, "I should be out of here in about a week." Before they could ask he continued:

"The woman will take care of me until I can move without tearing my stitches." The men exchanged infuriating glances between themselves and sniggered silently, their shoulders moving up and down. Ulquiorra rolled his eyes and focused on the fight that had now broken out in the TV-show. People from the audience were joining in too and even the presenter got smacked over the head by an overweight woman in her forties. _This is the strangest and most disgusting TV-show I've ever seen, _he thought and hoped they would show another episode after this one.

Renji grabbed the wheels of his chair and rolled himself towards the other bed with curtains around it. He pulled the curtain slightly aside to take a peek inside and almost instantly regretted it. He let go off the curtain and pushed his chair away from the bed, holding his hand before his mouth. Ichigo had gotten up and rushed to his side, wrapping his arms around Renji's shoulders. Ulquiorra heard them murmur something but didn't pay attention, he had seen glimpses of his friend's motionless body during the doctors' rounds and knew what Renji had seen. _There's a reason for those curtains to be closed, stupid man. _Ichigo pulled the wheelchair away from the bed and turned it towards the door.

"We should go now" he said, "you both need your rest."

"Yes, goodbye" Ulquiorra bid them, not taking his eyes of the TV- screen.

"Alrighty" Ichigo muttered after a short silence, "well, bye then." Ulquiorra didn't say anything as the door was opened and closed again, then again he heard the nurses arguing with the two men until they were far enough for him not to hear.

Few minutes passed in blissful silence, only the people on TV screamed at each other and pulled each others' hair until he heard rustling from the bed next to him and the curtain was pulled aside. Grimmjow's upper body was hanging on the edge of his bed, tubes going to his nose and in both of his arms and on the back of his hands. His eyes were glassy and his hair the same blue mess as usual, and his whole torso was bound up so tightly it was a miracle he could even breathe. His other arm hung over the edge of his bed and he tried to focus his eyes on Ulquiorra, who had turned his head slightly towards the man. Grimmjow opened his mouth but then flinched from the pain, inhaled carefully and then tried again.

"How's…" he managed to say before the pain took over again. His eyes looked for the morphine button on his IV- drip and he raised his other hand towards it, only to almost tear the whole bag down. Ulquiorra rolled his eyes and sighed lightly, then shuffled on his bed so he could reach over to Grimmjow's bed and push the morphine button. The man exhaled gratefully and lopped back down to his bed.

"They're fine" he said before the man tried to speak again. Grimmjow just continued his heavy breathing, slowly steadying down to normal and then nodded just noticeably. Another episode of the strange TV- show started rolling and Ulquiorra focused his attention to it. After few minutes Grimmjow made some sort of a grumbling noise and made Ulquiorra glance at him from the corner of his eye. The man was grinning like a maniac and his chest was heaving slightly, making him cough. Blood sputtered on his face and on the white bandages on his chest but his grin didn't go anywhere. With another sigh Ulquiorra reached for the nurse button on the side of his bed and resumed on watching television while Grimmjow continued on laughing and coughing up blood until the nurses rushed in and tried to calm him down, without much success. They had to finally sedate him to make him stop laughing and fall asleep again. Ulquiorra didn't move his eyes from the TV- screen during the whole ordeal and just shook his head when the nurses asked if he needed anything.

After they left he threw a quick glance at the bed which had curtains drawn around it again. Soon he could hear Grimmjow's faint snoring and the corners of his mouth curled slightly upwards. He resumed watching the TV –show, the sound of Grimmjow's snoring accompanying the clamoring of the guests who were at each others' throats just ten minutes into the show. _This might the best TV- show ever made, _he noted as he let his brain turn off for once and sunk back into the soft pillows, glancing at the clock on the wall and counted that the woman should come over in about fifteen minutes. And after sixteen minutes, she did.


	22. When You Hold Me Like This

**When You Hold Me Like This**

Isshin Kurosaki, Kisuke Urahara and Byakuya Kuchiki were waiting outside the hospital when Ichigo pushed Renji out through the hospital doors, still sitting in his wheelchair. He had gotten his own clothes back but still needed his bandages changed every other day. When he got to the car, or Kuchiki's personal limousine, he slowly got up from the wheelchair and staggered to his own feet. Byakuya was quickly by his side, standing close so the man could lean on him if needed. Renji gave him a grateful look but steeled himself and hopped into the car on his own. Ichigo had taken the wheelchair back inside the hospital and jogged back to the car, he had spent the whole of last week by Renji's side, even sleeping on the floor next to his bed.

Ulquiorra and Grimmjow were still staying at the hospital, Ulquiorra might be sent home in a few days to recover but Grimmjow was going to have to stay there for at least a month. The blunette wasn't happy about this and was currently giving the silent treatment to all the nurses and doctors, only speaking a few words to Ulquiorra once everyone else had left the room. But apparently Orihime had managed to soften him down a bit and gotten him to take his medicine. She was now working as a kind of link between Grimmjow and the doctors, delivering information to them about his current state. Despite his grievous injuries, the man was making a speedy recovery, amazing the hospital's staff. Apparently he was using all his energy on healing, lying on his bed quietly from day to day. He would be starting his physiotherapy within a few days and would've to continue it for at least a month. This didn't make the man any more social or happier but he would've to endure it if he ever wanted to heal properly.

Byakuya shut the car door after Renji had shuffled himself comfortably on the backseat. Ichigo was standing beside his father and Kisuke, the old man patting his son affectionately on the back, discarding his usual goofy antics for a while.

"Abarai-san seems to be recovering nicely" Isshin noted then looked at his son, "how are you feeling, Ichigo?" The young man scoffed and scratched the back of his head.

"I'm fine, even better now that all this is over" he said gesturing to the hospital behind them.

"Yes, well he still has to take it easy for a while, bullet wounds shouldn't be taken lightly" his father noted, wagging his finger in the air, "your friend Grimmjow seems to have forgotten that." Ichigo was going to argue that Grimmjow wasn't his friend but then decided not to. The man had saved their lives, in a way.

"So Aizen's gang is now over, huh?" he asked, looking at Kisuke. The blonde man hummed and rocked back and forth on his heels.

"To my knowledge at least. Shinji seems to have taken control over his areas, though I've heard that Zaraki has also risen from the shadows again. Maybe he was waiting for someone else to deal with Aizen this whole time and has just been gathering all his strength, we'll see" he said and smiled to himself. To Ichigo the man didn't seem worried, more like excited. The man's smile made shivers run through his spine, though he would've thought that after having stared down the barrel of a gun a mere smile wouldn't seem that frightening. Apparently Kisuke was an exception.

"Hope the boys have now learned to stay away from that kind of business" Isshin said and threw a warning glance at Ichigo. The young man rolled his eyes at him and started to walk to his dad's car. Renji had ordered him to go home and get some rest before coming to see him again. He would be staying at Byakuya's mansion, the man had insisted he wouldn't go back to his own flat.

"_That place is a disgrace as it is" _he had said, _"I will not have you get an infection from all that filth, I will look after you personally if I have to." _

"_So he'll just dump me into one of the two hundred rooms he has and ask the maids to bring me food every once in a while" _Renji had interpreted to Ichigo. The young man had said he'd come see him every day after college, but the man had told him to get some rest first, and catch up with his studies.

"_I'll have someone come and check that you're not leaving everything because of me" _he had warned Ichigo, _"my pay won't be enough to support the both of us if you fail college."_ Though the man's words were meant as a slight warning, the mention of them spending their future together had caused a warm surge somewhere in Ichigo's stomach. He'd wanted to kiss Renji for it but had to hold back for now, he didn't want to hurt him. Renji seemed bit frustrated himself but had had to settle for cuddling and a few kisses. They couldn't even do that for long before things started to get too heated, and there was always the danger of a nurse walking in on them, or worse, Ichigo's dad or one of their friends. The doctors said Renji's bandages could be removed in about two weeks but even then he'd have to take it easy for a while before even considering going back to work.

"_Or participating in any kind of straining activities" _the doctor had said, giving them both a long, meaningful look, _"and I mean, ANY kind of activity." _Ichigo had blushed fiercely but Renji had just laughed, smacking Ichigo's ass just as the doctor had walked out of the room. The doctor had given Ichigo another long look before disappearing into the corridor, and the young man would've slapped Renji if he wasn't just recovering from a serious injury.

"_Just wait until you're fine again" _he had warned the redhead, who had just grinned widely at him and opened his arms out wide, bidding Ichigo to give him a hug.

"_Come now, you know you want to." _Ichigo had tried to resist but had finally given in, now that he had feared for Renji's life he never wanted to waste another second with him.

Kisuke waved them goodbye as Isshin sat in the driver's seat and slowly started to drive them home. Byakuya's car drove ahead them for while, Ichigo could just make out Renji's high ponytail from the rear window before the car turned to the posh part of the town and they continued to the suburbs. Kisuke had gone with Renji and Byakuya, the man was now apparently dating Byakuya. Ichigo hadn't believed at first, to him the men seemed to behave exactly the same as before but Renji had told him otherwise.

"_Trust me, I've slept with both of them, I know." _Ichigo had made a face at this sentiment, he didn't want to be reminded of Renji's previous bedfellows. The man had laughed at him again, his eyes twinkling with joy.

"_Stupid Berry, there's no need to be jealous just because both of them are extremely good looking and successful" _he had taunted the young man, _"not the mention their other attributes…"_ At that point Ichigo had been close to smothering the insolent redhead with his own pillow when a nurse had walked in and driven him out of the room. He had sneaked back half an hour later, only to be met by Renji's loud laughter. He man had nearly torn his stitches while laughing before finally calming down. He had chortled every now and then, annoying Ichigo on purpose. He had apologized though, and promised to make up for it. He had pulled Ichigo really close, kissed his ear and whispered things that had made the young man's face burn hot with embarrassment. Thinking about it now, sitting in the car next to his father, Ichigo couldn't help the small smile that crept to his face and had to press his face down. Isshin gave him a curious glance as they waited in the traffic lights but said nothing. Maybe he knew better than to pry into the personal life of his grown- up son. For once. But of course the comfortable silence didn't last for long.

"So" Isshin started, that all too familiar grin glued to his face, "how are things with you and Abarai-san?" Ichigo turned his head towards his dad, the man's creepy face made it everything sound more perverted than it was.

"Fine" he answered, hoping the man would just lay off. No chance.

"I was just wondering, you know" Isshin continued, "two strapping, virile young men like you…"

"What?" Ichigo would've jumped from his seat if he wasn't been held down by his seat belt, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"What, I'm just saying" his dad said, "'cause I've noticed that you're getting kinda close and I was just wondering whether you two are going to…you know."

"No, I do-Oh no, no, no, no, don't say it, don't you dare say it…!"

"It's my duty as your father to ask about these things" Isshin had to raise his voice to be heard over Ichigo's panicky wailing, "when having sexual intercourse there are many things you should consider…"

"Oh dear God please let me out" Ichigo whined and tried to unbuckle his seatbelt.

"Oh don't be silly Ichigo, the car is still moving!"

"I don't care, I'd rather get hit by a truck than sit here listening to you lecture me about my sex life!" Isshin gave his son a fatherly look of concern.

"It's the most natural thing in the world Ichigo, I'm not saying you shouldn't do it, I know what it's like being a young man in his prime…" Ichigo stuck his fingers into his ears and started to sing in a loud voice.

"La la la la la laaa I can't hear you la la la la la…" Isshin grabbed his son's arm and wrenched it down, now looking stern.

"Don't be stupid Ichigo, this is very important." Ichigo crossed his arms on his chest and pouted his lips, looking like a child with a temper tantrum.

"I dunno what's there to talk about, it's not like we can get pregnant…" he muttered under his breath. Isshin raised his finger in the air with a victorious grin on his face.

"Aha! But that's not the only danger of sexual intercourse" he said, over-pronouncing the last two words just to make Ichigo writhe in his seat from embarrassment, "for example, you must've heard about sexually transmitted diseases and infections, haven't you?" Ichigo stared at his father with mortified embarrassment. _Is he fucking serious?_

"Well, have you?" The young man cringed but forced himself to play along, he couldn't escape this now anyway.

"Yes" he hissed between his teeth, turning his back on the man and stared intently out of the window. If he had to listen to this, he wouldn't at least want to look at the man while he talked about the birds and the bees like he was still thirteen and getting his first stubble on his chin. Ichigo still recoiled in horror from the memory of that talk. _But this is even worse, if he's actually going to talk to me about sex between two men I'm seriously going to jump out._

"You see son, with Renji being older than you and more experienced" Isshin started, prompting another loud wail from Ichigo, "it is important that you both get tested first, I'm not implying anything but just to be on the safe side, you know. Better safe than sorry, as they say! You can even come to the clinic and I can test you both." Ichigo's eyes widened in alarm and he had to glimpse at his father over his shoulder.

"You've got to be kidding me" he managed to wheeze out. Isshin didn't seem to understand what his son was on about.

"It's just a basic medical procedure, I've been caring for you all my life, this is nothing to be ashamed of…"

"We're not getting checked for STDs at the clinic!" Ichigo bellowed, his voice almost cracking and he curled into a ball on his seat. His father sighed and tut-tutted at him.

"Ichigo, you're acting like a small child, this is perfectly normal for a young man your age, I don't want you to come to me in two months with syphilis…"

"I'm not gonna get syphilis from Renji!"

"I'm not saying that, I just don't want you to get sick!"

"I won't get sick, okay? I promise, now please can we not talk about this anymore?"

"I'm not quite finished yet."

"Oh dear God…"

"Next thing is, after you've been tested and you know that you're healthy and want to proceed onto the business itself…"

"Dad, please!"

"It's very important that you both know what you're doing" Isshin persevered despite his son's loud protests. Ichigo had covered his face with his hands, quietly objecting to the whole conversation.

"Now, I understand Renji has had plenty of experience with other men, but what about you Ichigo?" Isshin didn't see the look of absolute terror on his son's face because he was too busy keeping an eye on the traffic.

"What?"

"I asked if you have been with other men before" Isshin repeated patiently, putting on the blinkers as he turned from a roundabout, "I know young people like to try all sorts of things these days but you've never told me about this kind of stuff so…"

"There's a very good reason for that!" Ichigo yelled and turned around on his seat so he was facing his father again, "you don't tell your parents about your sex life and they don't ask about it!"

"Why not?" Ichigo slapped himself on the forehead.

"It's just…not done" he sighed, "would you ask Yuzu or Karin about their boyfriends?" Now the expression on Isshin's face changed dramatically and he almost drove into the wrong lane.

"Dad!" Ichigo had to shout to make him snap back into reality, "Watch where you're going!"

"Oh yes, sorry…" he muttered as he drove back to his own lane, "yes, what was I saying?" Ichigo decided it was too cruel to taunt his dad with thoughts of his little princesses growing up. He slouched back into his seat and rubbed his temples tiredly.

"You were asking me about my previous sexual encounters with other men" he mumbled. Isshin's face brightened up again.

"Ah yes! Now son, have you had any sexual encounters…"

"Yes dad, yes I have" Ichigo interrupted, not even caring anymore. This couldn't possible get any worse.

"Alright then" Isshin said, seemingly unfazed by this new information, "then I take it you know the basics of sex between two men, am I right?" Ichigo wasn't quite sure what his father meant by 'the basics of sex between two men' but nodded anyway.

"I thought so, well then there isn't really much I need to tell you, besides that you should of course always use protection, both of you that is, and preferably during oral sex as well." Ichigo felt a slight panic attack coming on when his dad uttered the words 'oral sex' but managed to keep it under control.

"Anything else, dad?" he asked, fearing what the man might still have to say. Isshin fell silent as he mentally ticked off things of his inner list on 'how to embarrass your son to death'.

"Hmmh, let me think for a moment now" he pondered, "no, no I think that's it. That wasn't so bad now, was it?" Ichigo didn't bother answering, he just hoped someday he'd be able to forget about this whole conversation.

"Oh wait!" Isshin clamored just as they turned to their home street, "you do know about lubricants, do you?"

"Dad!"

"I'm just saying, I've seen many young men with awful chaffing down there, it's really not a pretty sight…"

"Dad, for God's sake, shut up!"

"Alright, alright, just trying to be fatherly here…"

* * *

A week later Ichigo was retelling the story in one of the bedrooms in Byakuya's mansion, sitting at the foot of the bed Renji was currently occupying. The redhead was howling out of laughter so hard he had to ask Ichigo to pause the story so he could draw in a breath. Renji was pressing his hands to his abdomen, feeling if he had ruptured his stitches.

"Okay, continue please" he cackled, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. Ichigo shifted on the bed, the memory still made his face burn red with embarrassment.

"So then when I had told him we wouldn't get tested in his clinic, he went on asking me about my previous experiences with men" he uttered, regretting ever having mentioned the whole conversation to Renji. The man fell backwards onto his pillows, laughing so loudly Ichigo couldn't hear himself speak.

"Are you quite done?" Renji flailed his hands in the air, slowly propping himself up on his elbows.

"Sorry Ichi, that's just too damn funny" he said between bursts of laughter, "alright, so what did you tell him?"

"Well I told him would he want to know about my sisters' sex life, and then he almost killed us both by driving the car into the wrong lane" the young man continued, earning another fit of laughter from his boyfriend.

"So I gave up and just told him that I had been with men before" Ichigo said, raising his voice so he could be heard over Renji's chortling. Just that moment the door of the room was opened and a very curious looking Byakuya stepped in. He pressed the door shut behind him and eyed the two men. Renji was still rolling on the bed with laughter and Ichigo looked mortified realizing the man had most likely heard his last sentiment.

"Did I interrupt something?" he asked. This prompted another fit of laughter from Renji and Ichigo smacked him over the head with a pillow.

"Kurosaki Ichigo!" Byakuya scolded him, strutting over to the bed and grabbing the pillow off his hands, "You do not treat the patient like that." Ichigo pouted and folded his arms on his chest.

"Sorry" he muttered as Renji finally stopped laughing and now only chuckled quietly, his chest heaving up and down. Byakuya looked at him with concern and lowered his hand on the man's shoulder.

"Are you alright Abarai?" Ichigo frowned, it was still weird to him how Byakuya insisted on calling Renji by his last name even though they had been lovers once. Renji patted Byakuya's hand and nodded breathily.

"Yeah, I'm better than fine" he giggled, throwing a mischievous glance at Ichigo, "Ichigo's been telling me about the sex talk his father gave him."

"Really?" Byakuya turned to look at Ichigo with an elegantly arched eyebrow, "It was about time then."

"He- what?" Ichigo had a feeling this had been a set-up, "did you know about this?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Kurosaki" Byakuya dismissed and raised the covers on Renji, checking his bandages, "all I can tell you is that you won't be able to put your father's instructions into practice for some time yet." Renji burst into a new fit of giggles, bending over and hitting the bed with his fists while Ichigo turned as red as his lover's hair.

"Shut up, both of you" he lashed out at them, but the men nearly exchanged knowing looks and Ichigo was almost sure he'd seen Byakuya's lips turn slightly upwards. He still couldn't get his head around the fact that those two had been dating years back, Kisuke he could somehow understand but this stoic, proud man and the heap of crazy that was Renji…Just didn't make sense.

"Okay Ichi, we're sorry" Renji reassured him, "so that was it? Now you have your father's permission to turn into a sodomite?" He chortled again, but Ichigo ignored it this time.

"No, of course he didn't stop there. After that he said 'well then, you must be familiar with the basics of sex between two men.'"

"No way!" the redhead bellowed and fell on his face on the huge bed, burying his face into the soft covers. Byakuya grabbed hold of his shoulders and pulled him back into a sitting position, pressing his back against the mountain of pillows.

"Be still Abarai, you are not doing yourself any favours" he scolded him, but his remarks were drowned under the man's howling laughter.

"I'm not finished yet!" Ichigo shouted over the commotion, "When I said yes, he went on telling me that I, sorry, _we_, should always use protection, preferably during oral sex too." Now even Byakuya had to turn away from the young man and hide his face behind his hand so they wouldn't see how his lips twitched.

"And the cherry on top in this wonderful conversation that will most likely haunt me forever, was that he asked me if I knew about the existence of lubricants, since apparently he has seen many young men with, and I quote, 'awful chaffing down there'. And at that point I ran out of the car."

"Oh god, I can't breathe" Renji wheezed as he threw his head back and tried to stop laughing. Ichigo sighed and leaned his chin to his hands, raising his eyebrows as he waited for the man to finally calm down. He glanced at Byakuya who still had his back turned on him and could swear the man's shoulders were jumping slightly up and down. After a while both men finally came to their senses and again exchanged meaningful glances with each other. Before Ichigo might've felt a twinge of jealousy for the men's shared past and how they were able to communicate with such small gestures and looks, but now he just felt glad that Renji had a friend like Byakuya, and vice versa. Plus he knew he had absolutely no reason to be jealous, Renji had proved that to him time and time again. The redhead turned to look at him again, his brown eyes twinkling and that wide smile on his face Ichigo adored more every time he saw it, now that he knew how close he had been to never seeing it again.

"Come here boke" Renji chuckled and reached his hand out to him. Ichigo shuffled next to him and was pulled into his lap, snuggling to his side. Renji planted a kiss on his forehead as he nuzzled his head to the crook of the man's neck. Byakuya hemmed to himself and turned to walk out of the room, leaving the young lovers alone.

"I will bring your dinner in an hour" he said before shutting the door behind him. Renji smirked widely and poked his nose against Ichigo's cheek.

"That means we have an hour all to ourselves" he murmured into the young man's ear. Ichigo raised his eyes to the man's face and smiled back at him.

"You heard what he said, we can't do anything before you've recovered" he replied but his gaze dropped from the man's eyes to his lips that were slightly parted. Before he even noticed he was drawn closer to them, pressing his own lips against them and tasting Renji's flavor in his mouth. The usual bitter taste of cigarettes was gone, as was the smell of motor oil from his skin, replaced with the fresh scent of shampoo and clean sheets. Renji's hands snaked around his waist and slid under his shirt, strong fingers digging into his skin. Ichigo moaned softly and draped his own arm around Renji's chest, holding onto his neck and smashing their lips together. Renji pulled Ichigo on top of him, grunting slightly as the young man's weight pressed down on him. Ichigo broke the kiss for a second, trying to say something only to have Renji's tongue slide into his mouth and effectively silence him for the moment.

Ichigo's hands sunk into Renji's thick crimson mane, his fingers twirling around the silky strands and tugging lightly on his scalp. The man didn't seem to mind, his kisses merely got more passionate and his grip on Ichigo's hips was now almost bruising. He pressed the young man down on his hips, making sure he could feel his straining erection through the bed covers. Ichigo rolled his hips against Renji's, causing the man to groan against his mouth and slid his other hand up on Ichigo's back and then inside his jeans, grabbing his ass firmly. The young man moaned again and drew in breath through his nose, not wanting to break the kiss anymore. Ichigo's other hand travelled down from Renji's neck to his chest and down towards his groin when he shifted his weight and accidentally pressed on his wound. The redhead bit down on Ichigo's tongue, making the young man yelp in pain and quickly jump back, managing to nudge the wound again with his knee. Within a second both men were sitting on the bed gasping in pain, Ichigo pressing his hand against his mouth and noticing he was bleeding, and Renji bend over double and trying to breathe through his clenched teeth.

"'Orry Renji" Ichigo mumbled as he tried to feel if he had lost the tip of his tongue. His teeth were now red with blood and it trickled down his chin. Renji panted and shook his head as he pressed his arms against the wound on his abdomen.

"No, it's my fault" he hissed, "too eager, sorry." After few steady breaths he was feeling bit better and leaned back on the pillows. Ichigo was still bleeding from his mouth, trying to hide it behind his hand. Renji frowned and grabbed his wrist, pulling it aside.

"Let me see that…" he muttered and forced the young man's mouth open, "it's still all there, don't worry…You might want to get some ice for it though."

"Hohay" Ichigo uttered with his mouth open. Renji let go of his chin and shook his head as he settled back on the bed.

"Maybe we should just wait" he reasoned and Ichigo nodded in agreement. The young man shuffled off the bed and walked to the door.

"I'm 'onna 'et 'at ice" he fumbled as he sneaked out from the door crack. Renji was left alone in the room, twiddling his thumbs while trying to think of anything that would make his erection go away as quickly as possible.

When Ichigo got back, having effectively avoided all the maids and other personnel and finding an icepack for his tongue, Renji had found the remote control for the massive TV that had been hid behind the wood paneling on the opposite wall. He was currently flipping through the channels until settling to a wrestling match. He glanced at Ichigo standing by the door and patted the spot on the bed beside himself.

"Care to join me?" he smirked. Ichigo smiled back at him and jumped on the bed, snuggling his back against the heap of soft pillows. Renji draped his arm around his shoulders and ruffled his hair. After few minutes of watching grown men bash each other in tight leather pants Ichigo shifted and crossed his legs. Renji chuckled lowly and kissed his neck.

"Too much for you?" he asked laughingly. The young man glared at him and shifted again.

"No" he grunted, "it's just…"

"Yes?" Ichigo sighed and rolled his shoulders back, popping his neck.

"You know, now that everything's finally over and we have time to just be and we haven't been able to do anything…"

"I know, we've been cock-blocked on every turn" Renji cut in, "even by ourselves. I'm beginning to see a pattern emerging here."

"Yeah, and it's getting bit old you know" Ichigo said, "it's like the universe has something against us." Renji frowned and straightened himself up.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm not saying anything, I'm just…"

"You don't want to break it off, do you?" Ichigo's head whipped around and his eyes widened.

"No, why would I…Listen, I'm not gonna break up with you after all the shit we've been through." He nudged Renji's chest with his knuckles.

"Boke." The redhead rolled his eyes and bumped their foreheads together.

"Sorry, all this stuff is making me bit paranoid" he chuckled.

"I just want you so bad and it's so goddamn frustrating that I can't" Ichigo huffed out, throwing his head back on the pillows and exhaled deeply, pouting his lips. He frowned and pressed the icepack on his mouth again. Renji adored that look and grinned like an idiot from sheer joy of seeing it. He pushed the icepack aside and kissed the young man, sliding his tongue over his lips. He could still taste the irony flavour of blood in Ichigo's mouth.

"This is just what I mean" he mumbled against the redhead's mouth, "you're making it worse."

"I can stop if you want me to" Renji grinned slyly and started to move his head back, only to have his jaw grabbed by Ichigo.

"Don't be stupid."

"Can't help it when I'm with you." It was Ichigo's turn to roll his eyes.

"Now you're just being obnoxious." Renji smirked and pulled the young man to his side, kissing his forehead.

"Can't help that either with you lying there next to me" he hushed, knowing full well the effect his words had on the young man.

"Alright, I officially hate you right now."

"I know" Renji replied and trailed kisses all along Ichigo's cheek and jaw, down to his neck and collar bones. Ichigo groaned and tried to move away but only managed to reveal more skin for Renji to caress with his mouth.

"God Renji, please..."

"Well since you asked me so nicely" the man smirked and moved his hand down to Ichigo's thigh, stroking it through the fabric of his jeans and slowly moving it closer to his groin. Ichigo swallowed and tried to catch his breath as Renji continued to sneak his hands inside his jeans. He had to bite down on his lip to muffle his moans as the man's fingers brushed over his erection and wrapped around it. Renji slowly started to pump his hand on Ichigo's cock while sucking gently on the young man's neck, sliding his tongue up to his jawline. Ichigo somehow conjured up the willpower to push the man's head away from him and slide away from his touches.

"Renji, please, don't tease me" he gasped, "I can't...I just can't take it." The redhead pouted his lips at Ichigo, looking quite hurt.

"But I want to" he whined, crawling closer to Ichigo, "I want to make you scream my name." Renji's husky voice alone was enough to make Ichigo's skin tingle and he had to scramble completely off from the bed to escape from him.

"Listen Renji, believe me, there's nothing I'd love to do more than to...scream your name but" Ichigo said as Renji leaned over the edge of the bed, folding his arms and tilting his head to one side, "but we have to wait until you're fully healed, Byakuya will have my ass if I hurt you." Renji chuckled but nodded, Ichigo was right. He didn't want their first time in bed be ruined by his current condition, he knew he couldn't hold himself back once he had Ichigo all to himself.

"Okay Ichi, whatever you say" he smiled and shuffled back on the bed. After a while he looked down to the floor where Ichigo was still sitting.

"Aren't you gonna come back here?" The young man glanced at him and pulled his legs to his chest.

"Just gimme a minute will you."


	23. As I Want You To Be

**Nearing the end, finally. Of course this story will have a happy ending for all around, I seem to be incapable of leaving anyone feel miserable. **

**Loads, and I mean loads, of smexy stuff at the end so if you don't want to read about grown men humping each other, skip it. I've cock-blocked these two so many times that now I finally gave them what they deserved. **

**As I Want You To Be**

Renji huffed out a breath as the doctor read his chart. He was sitting on the examining table wearing only his underwear and the cool air was making his skin turn into goose pumps. The man snapped the chart on his desk and got up, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose. He pressed his cold fingers against Renji's abdomen and started to roll off the bandages. The man's silent demeanor made Renji feel awkward and he shifted in his place.

"Be still" the doctor said in his monotone voice. Renji rolled his eyes but tried not to move. The man eyed the scar on his abdomen critically and pressed against the still somewhat tender skin. Renji didn't even flinch, the wound had healed quite well and he didn't even need his painkillers, only if he moved around a lot.

"I feel quite fine already" he said to the doctor, who merely hummed in acknowledgment.

"Yes, I don't suppose you will need these bandages anymore" the man finally said, straightening himself back up and tossing the bandages into the nearby bin. Renji smiled wolfishly and flexed his abdominals.

"So I'm good to go?" The doctor glanced at him over the edge of his glasses and pushed them back the bridge of his nose.

"Good for what?" he asked. Renji frowned in confusion.

"Errr..you know, life in general" he muttered, "'cause I was told to avoid all physical strain."

"Oh, yes" the doctor said, "yes, I don't see why not." Renji nodded but on the inside he was jumping of joy. _Wait till Ichi hears this…_

"So can I go now?" The doctor glanced through his chart again and nodded.

"Yes, you have to come back in a month for a check-up but other than that you're free to go, unless you have any questions." For a second Renji thought about asking the man if sex was one of the things he could now do but decided to leave it, the man clearly had no sense of humour to begin with.

"Alright then" he said while grabbing his jeans from the chair, "thank you doctor."

"No problem" the man said and sat back into his chair, starting to click the mouse on his computer while Renji tossed on his clothes and quickly made his exit. Once out of the examination room he resisted the urge to pump his fist in the air and instead made his way to the elevators. He was accompanied by two young nurses who threw admiring glances at his direction and giggled at each other until he stepped out of the elevator and disappeared into the corridor.

Renji counted the numbers of the rooms as he passed them, finally coming to the one he had been looking for. He listened for a while behind the door and then pushed it slowly open, poking his head in from the crack. The single bed in the room was empty and his brows knit together, then he glanced at the clock on the wall. He closed the door and walked back to the elevator, resting his hands on the belt loops of his jeans. The same young nurses were again in the elevator and their eyes widened in surprise and delight as he stepped back in.

"Are you lost, sir?" one of the nurses asked him. He glanced at the girl over his shoulder and shook his head.

"No, my friend's apparently in physiotherapy, I went to see his room just now" he explained. The nurse's face brightened and she exchanged glances with her friend.

"Is your friend a tall, handsome man with blue hair?" she asked, now a small blush on her cheeks. Renji nodded slowly and the nurses almost squealed. The other one them composed herself and spoke again.

"We can take you to him if you want to" she said, "he's getting off in just few minutes, they won't mind." Renji smiled at the nurses, making them both blush fiercely.

"Thanks, that'd be great." The nurses giggled again and then guided him to the right floor.

"We can walk you there" they said and exited the elevator, Renji following few steps behind. The nurses kept throwing him weird glances over their shoulders as they patted along the long corridors to the physiotherapy ward. Finally they came to a pair of double doors and slid them open, peering inside.

"Oh yes, I think we can go in" the other one said and gestured for Renji to follow. They entered the room, which looked like a smaller gym class with soft mats and all kinds of fitness equipment. In the middle of the room there was a kind of scaffold with two wooden railings and a very angry looking Grimmjow who was leaning onto them, glaring at a male nurse who was apparently trying to instruct him.

"I don't need this shit anymore!" Grimmjow shouted and banged his hand against the railing, "I wanna go home!" Renji chuckled to himself and shook his head, it seemed some things never changed.

"You'd need anger management more than this" he noted to the man, who whipped his head around to see who dared. Seeing Renji stand at the door his expression somewhat softened before he turned to the nurse again.

"Go away, I have a guest" he grunted. First it seemed that the nurse would protest but then quickly left the room, apparently any excuse to leave Grimmjow's company was good enough for him. Renji sauntered to Grimmjow, looking around the room. The two nurses lingered at the door before they reluctantly left and shut the door behind them. Renji tapped his fingers against the wooden railing as Grimmjow raised himself in the air on his hands, flexing his impressive biceps.

"You seem to be in working order" Renji remarked, knocking the wood with his knuckles. The other man huffed, swinging himself in the air with ease.

"I am" he said, swinging back and forth, "these idiots just don't believe it, say I'd need to stay here for two weeks. Bullshit!" Grimmjow let go of the railings and landed just a feet away from Renji, regaining his balance in a split second and his face spread into a wide predatory grin that revealed his perfect white teeth and oddly sharp canines. Renji hemmed and shook his head again, Grimmjow was a hopeless case.

"See, perfect" the man said and spun around, "as always." The redhead laughed out loud at this statement.

"Seems that getting shot twice hasn't done anything to your superiority complex."

"Why would it, I survived" the man said, flexing his biceps again, "if anything it's just made me surer that I'm practically invincible."

"So you're the Highlander now?" Renji chuckled. Grimmjow frowned but then nodded.

"Basically yeah. Why the hell not" he smirked at Renji and leaned his hands back on the railings, "but you didn't come here just to see me."

"Nope, I finally got my bandages off and I'm good to go."

"Lucky bastard" Grimmjow huffed and tapped the wood under his fingers. His grin slowly spread again to his face as he glanced at the redhead over his shoulder.

"So why are you here instead of fucking the living daylights out of that young piece of meat you have waiting back home?" Renji laughed again but had to press his face down to hide his blushing. He didn't even notice when Grimmjow was suddenly on his skin and slid his fingers to his neck, the man's hot breath on his cheek.

"Came here for some of this?" he asked huskily. Renji scoffed and pushed the man off of him, shaking his head in disbelief.

"You truly are hopeless" he said to him, "I heard you even tried to scare Ichigo." Grimmjow barked out a laugh and folded his arms on his chest.

"The kid's too much fun to be left alone" he smirked, "if you ever decide to dump him, just send him to me." Renji raised an eyebrow.

"I don't really see him being your type" he noted to the man.

"Well I'd suppose that you'd break him in for me and then I could have my fun" Grimmjow jeered.

"And Ichi says I'm disgusting" the redhead snorted.

"Why, what have you tried to do to him?" Grimmjow asked, his Cheshire grin almost reaching up his ears, "The thing I showed you with the ropes and the hook? Or the swing? Or that thing with the handcuffs and the whip…"

"No, none of that" Renji interrupted, Grimmjow's words were bringing up some rather inappropriate memories, "we haven't done anything yet."

"Anything? Well you have a lot of catching up to do then" the man chuckled, "I remember you especially liked the thing I did with the ropes, you gotta teach him that…"

"Alright, I'm going now" Renji declared before Grimmjow got into more detail about their sex life, "I just wanted to see how you were and have now seen and heard enough."

"Oh c'mon, I'm just fucking with you" the man said and patted to his side, "well, I'd rather just fuck you but…"

"Grimm" the redhead said sternly and glared at the man from under his brow. The blunette raised his hands in the air and chuckled lowly.

"Alright, alright, I'll shut up now" he complied.

"Thanks" Renji grunted but continued walking towards the doors. Grimmjow walked beside him, tugging on the hem of his hospital pajamas.

"Are you gonna walk me back to my room" he asked in a lower tone. Renji glanced at him from the corner of his eye and was surprised to see his brooding expression. _Maybe he's lonely, Ulquiorra was sent home a week ago so he has no one to talk to…I dunno if anyone has even been to see him._

"Yeah sure" he said and would've slapped the man on the back if he hadn't remembered his grievous injuries.

They walked along the corridor to the elevators, Renji kept an eye on the man to see if he needed help. But Grimmjow seemed to be fine, besides all the bandages that were visible from under his pajamas. The man was probably on some strong medication, he had had six broken ribs, the ones that had been cracked before had totally busted after Aizen had shot him in the back. When Renji had seen him for the first time in the hospital he had looked half-dead, his whole body bruised and tubes going into his arms and face.

Orihime had told him the bullet Aizen shot had been only millimeters away from paralyzing Grimmjow from the waist down, just nearly missing his spine. That knowledge still sent shivers down Renji's back, seeing the man now walk by his side like nothing had happened. He knew that Grimmjow would've probably rather killed himself than lived a life where he would've been dependent on others for help. The man was fiercely independent to the brink of stupidity, it was a near miracle they had been able to keep him in the hospital for this long and got him to do physiotherapy. Apparently Ulquiorra and Orihime had spent most of their time talking him into doing it. _Well, Hime probably did most of the talking but still. _

As they stepped into the elevator already occupied by an older woman in a wheel chair and a male nurse, Renji noticed Grimmjow was bare foot.

"Where are your slippers?"

"Don't like 'em. They're itchy" the man said, curling his toes.

"You're such a kid" Renji chuckled, earning a smack on his forearm.

"Hey" he protested and slapped Grimmjow on the back of his head. The men kept exchanging punches for the rest of the elevator trip, almost to the point the male nurse was about to step in when the doors opened and the men stepped out, almost bumping into the very same young nurses who had guided Renji to the physiotherapy room.

"Oh hello" the redhead said when he recognized the two. The girls stared at them both with wide eyes and then just ran past them, giggling and squealing. Renji and Grimmjow exchanged weir glances but then shrugged and proceeded into Grimmjow's room. One there the man lopped onto his bed and groaned slightly as he searched for a comfortable position. Renji stayed at the door, looking around the all white room with just the bed, small table and the TV. Unlike Ulquiorra, Grimmjow didn't have any flowers and cards by his bed.

"Why did they give a private room?"

"'Cause no one wanted to be in the same room with me after Ulqui left" Grimmjow said, grabbing the TV remote from the bedside table, "and I don't really like people so suits me." Renji hemmed and fiddled with his ponytail, not really knowing what to say. Grimmjow could sense his tension and threw him a sideways glance.

"You can go now and have sex with your boyfriend" he said, emphasizing the last word and making it sound ridiculous and stupid. Grimmjow had never called him his boyfriend, or lover, or anything else. They had just been. Renji sighed and shifted his weight from one foot to the other, leaning his shoulder on the doorframe.

"Grimmjow, I never thanked you…"

"Stop it. Don't go mushy on me" the man interrupted before he got the chance to continue, "I still have some respect for you for bagging that hot piece of young ass, and the fact that you actually tried to rescue me, though it was completely idiotic and unnecessary. If Aizen hadn't shot me I'd have probably killed you myself for being such an idiot. So spare with the tears and shit, just go and fuck something, while you still can." Renji stared at his former lover, the brute of a man who was still able to surprise him. Before he could protest more, Renji had walked to his bed and pulled him into a tight hug, still careful not to press on his wounds. To his surprise Grimmjow didn't push him away, merely hold still while Renji stroked his hair and back, breathing in the once familiar scent before drawing himself away.

"Finished?" Grimmjow asked with an arched eyebrow. Renji nodded and smiled, it was good to know that some things never did change.

"Alright, now fuck off and leave me with Dr. Phil. I wanna laugh at pedophiles and fat people."

* * *

"So how was Grimmjow?" Ichigo asked Renji while bustling around in his kitchen, making coffee as usual.

"He was…fine. Being Grimmjow" Renji shouted back from the living room, where he was lying on the couch flipping through channels.

"Is that an improvement or what?" Ichigo queried as he came back with two steaming cups of coffee.

"Guess so" the redhead said as he took one of the cups, "thanks."

"I hope there's enough sugar for you, I've been practicing on the right dosage."

"Oh so now I'm an experiment too?" Renji grinned and grabbed Ichigo's hand as he gave him the cup, kissing him quickly on the lips.

"Well as a science student I'm intrigued by other life forms" the young man chuckled and suffered a bite on his lower lip, "ouch, goddamn homo habilis…"

"What did you call me?" Renji snarled, trying to nudge Ichigo with his knuckles while at the same time keep his coffee cup untouched.

"Oh you don't know? Well, you see, homo habilis was a species that belonged to the genus Homo, in which all humans belong, and they were…" After securing his coffee cup to the floor, Renji pounced on Ichigo, knocking him to the floor.

"Are you calling me stupid, huh?" the redhead grunted as he wrestled Ichigo into a chokehold. The young man wrenched on the man's arm and tried to kick him in the shins.

"If you don't understand what I'm saying then yeah, I guess I am" he grumbled as he managed to throw Renji over his head, knocking the air out of his lungs. As the redhead wheezed on the floor, Ichigo tended to his cup of coffee, leaning on the couch behind him.

"Your coffee is getting cold while you lie there mister" he noted to Renji who had now rolled onto his stomach and propped himself up on his arms.

"Shut up boy genius" he grunted as he crawled back to his coffee cup, "I'll kick your ass after I've drank this coffee…"

"Is that your version of the 'I'm here to kick ass and chew bubblegum'- line?"

"Just shut up." They drank their coffees in relative peacefulness while the angry man on TV banged on about immigration.

"Why are you watching this shit?" Ichigo groaned as he swiveled his coffee around in the cup.

"You just don't take him seriously, that's all" Renji shrugged. Ichigo scoffed and pointed at the TV.

"That man represents everything that is wrong in the modern culture, these middle-aged Caucasian men who have all the money and the power and still complain about other people getting better quality of life by coming to their country and doing the jobs they'd never do…" Renji sighed, put his coffee away and pulled Ichigo into his lap. He cupped the young man's face and kissed him, silencing his ranting effectively. Ichigo tried to mumble something against Renji's mouth but finally gave up and put his coffee back to the floor, then wrapped his arm around the man's neck. Renji grabbed his other hand and took it to his abdomen, sliding it under his shirt where the bandages had been. He smirked against Ichigo's lips as his fingers brushed over the bare skin.

"You got them off" the young man murmured.

"Yep" Renji chuckled, "you know what that means, dontcha?" He could feel Ichigo's lips curling upwards but the young man wouldn't let him on so easy.

"It's been so long I don't think I remember" he said while his fingers curled against the firm skin of Renji's abdomen, "was it something important?" Some other time Renji might've had the patience to play along with Ichigo but not tonight, not after all the shit they'd been through. Now he just wanted the young man naked and aroused and all to himself. With a groan he wrapped his arms around Ichigo and slowly got up to his feet, managing to knock over his coffee cup in the process. Neither of them noticed though, Ichigo was too busy trying to fumble Renji's ponytail loose and the redhead himself tried not to bump into any furniture as he made his way out of the living room and towards the bedroom. He finally made it without hitting Ichigo's head into doorframes or causing any damage to his other property. He threw the young man to his bed and was quick to crawl on top of him, hands already pulling down his loose college pants. Ichigo chuckled at his eagerness but did raise his hips off the mattress to help him.

"You're in a hurry tonight" he said just before the man threw the pants to the floor and pulled his shirt over his head.

"Shut up and get naked Berry" he ordered, his long red hair already looking disheveled. _Maybe it's reading his moods, _Ichigo mused to himself as he took off his own shirt and threw it to the floor, now only wearing his briefs. Renji stood at the foot of the bed, the dim light of the street lamps shining through the window right where he stood. Ichigo drank in the sight before him as he leaned back on his elbows, not trying to hide from Renji's eyes that scanned him from head to toe as the wolfish smile spread to the man's face. The redhead dropped to his knees on the bed, then leaned his hands forward and slowly crawled on top of Ichigo. They both smiled like idiots at each other, chests heaving up and down from the occasional chuckle.

"Are you nervous?" Ichigo asked as he stared into his lover's eyes.

"I'm just waiting for the sky to fall or something" Renji grinned, "wouldn't be that far off, with our past record."

"Then we should get to it before we get interrupted, again" Ichigo smiled, reaching up to kiss the redhead.

"Yeah" the man muttered back and took Ichigo's head into his hands, smashing their lips together.

Renji straightened his legs and let their lower bodies press up against each other, Ichigo quickly entwining their legs together. Renji's fingers spread into his hair, craning his neck back as the man's tongue glided into his mouth past his parted lips. Ichigo arched his back so their hips grinded against each other and then gasped as he felt Renji's hardened cock press against his thigh. The man's hands slid to his neck, one keeping his head in place while the other slowly went down his chest, brushing over his nipples and then lower to his abdomen, calloused fingers tracing the lines of his muscles. Ichigo let himself fall to the bed as he raised his hands to wrap them around Renji's torso, the jagged tribal tattoos dancing on the man's skin as he writhed above him. The redhead's hand grabbed the waist of his underwear and started tugging them down with some difficulty.

"This'd be so much easier if you didn't bother wearing any" the man muttered against his lips. Ichigo chuckled and lowered his own hands to Renji's ass, his thumbs sliding under the waistband of his boxers and started to pull them down.

"You're one to talk" he replied before capturing the man's mouth into another kiss. Renji's hand moved from his neck to his back and he pulled them both into a sitting position, their legs spreading to one another's sides. Renji frowned and shook his head.

"This isn't making this any easier" he noted. Ichigo uttered a nervous laugh and pulled his legs back, shuffling to his knees. He nodded to Renji to do the same but the man had already pulled his briefs down and had lost all interest in his own underwear. The young man had to push his hands away and nudge him onto his back, now finally being able to strip the man of his underwear. He then sat back on his hunches, letting his eyes travel up along the man's completely naked body. He was faintly aware of the smile he had on his face, like a child at Christmas. Renji was sporting a similar expression and stretched his hands above his head, flexing his body under Ichigo's inspection.

"Good enough for you?" he asked huskily, making the young man's smile widen into a smirk. He placed his hand on Renji's thigh, the tanned skin firm and hot under his touch. Before he hadn't had the chance to just admire his lover's body, and now when they finally didn't have to worry about other people, time or getting hurt he just wanted to take his time. Renji didn't seem to mind his lingering, he just reached his hand to caress Ichigo's arm, stroking the sensitive skin of forearm with the back of his fingers. Ichigo drew in a shaky breath and flashed a quick smile as he raised his eyes back to Renji's face.

"You look so scared I just wanna cuddle you, you baka" the redhead chortled as he wrapped his fingers around Ichigo's arm and pulled the young man on the bed to lie next to him, "am I that scary?"

"No, I just…" Ichigo's voice trailed off and he tried to cover it with a nervous chuckle, tentatively touching Renji's chest with his fingers, "I just...want everything to be perfect." The redhead barked out a loud laugh and ruffled Ichigo's orange hair.

"Listen Berry, when it's the two of us, it's not gonna be perfect" he grinned, "just look at all what's happened before when we've tried this, it's just not going to happen." He moved his hand to the back of Ichigo's head and pulled him closer into a deep kiss, his skillful tongue making the young man moan softly.

"So just relax and let's have some fun, okay?" Renji said as Ichigo tried to catch his breath after the kiss. He just nodded, unable to form any coherent sentences. Renji tilted his head to one side as he wrapped his leg around Ichigo's thighs.

"Cat got your tong…" he begun but was cut off when Ichigo leaned forward and licked a trail from his collar bones to his jawline, moving to nibble on his earlobe. The young man's hand sunk into his mass of hair, pulling it tightly so his head tilted back to reveal more skin for Ichigo to ravish. A low chuckle rumbled in the redhead's chest as his own hands travelled along Ichigo's lithe form, enjoying the feeling of the young man's body pressing down on him. He could feel his heavy erection rest against Ichigo's abdomen and bucked his hips up, making Ichigo stop his antics for a second as he groaned faintly against his neck but then continued on roaming over his lover's skin with his lips and tongue. His teeth scraped lightly on Renji's skin, earning a pleasant grunt from the man.

"Don't bother holding back with me Ichi" he hissed between his teeth. Almost immediately Ichigo's grip on his hair tightened and he felt the young man sunk his teeth into the skin of his neck. _That'll leave a mark, _he chuckled mentally as Ichigo sucked on the skin and lapped at it with his tongue. He felt the other hand slowly slide down his side, brushing over his nipples and tracing the lines of his tattoos on its way down. Ichigo's dainty fingers caressed the hollow of his hip and the jutting bone, then moved down to his thigh, carefully avoiding his groin and twitching arousal for the moment.

Renji inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, letting his head lull back and waited for Ichigo to finally get down to business. To his surprise he felt the young man slowly shuffle down on the bed, his mouth gracing his chest and his fingers slowly slipping away from his hair. Ichigo's tongue circled around his nipple as both of his hands pressed down on Renji's hips, thumbs caressing the skin just under his navel in a way that almost made him shove the young man's hand to his cock. He clenched his teeth together to keep himself in check and just let the young man do his thing. He cracked his eyes open to see Ichigo's head descent slowly on his torso, his hot tongue and mouth covering his skin inch by inch. Renji's own hands moved to Ichigo's back and then up to his shoulders until the young man's head was resting against the redhead's abdomen. Ichigo nudged his legs open and moved himself between them, all the while stroking his thighs and kissing his abdomen.

"Jesus Christ Ichi" Renji breathed out, his fingers digging into the young man's shoulders. He could feel Ichigo's lips curl upwards against his skin as he slowly lowered his head before raising it up and shuffling just few inches lower still. Ichigo's eyes wandered up on Renji's body to his face and locked into his eyes just as the young man poked his tongue out and licked the tip of Renji's cock, sending shivers across his body. The redhead's hands buried themselves into Ichigo's hair, massaging his scalp roughly as he waited for the young man to continue.

"I'm not gonna ask you" he grunted when Ichigo didn't carry on with what he had just started.

"I know" the young man said softly and then slowly lowered his mouth onto Renji's cock, sliding his flattened tongue down the shaft. The redhead let out a long sigh and let his head drop back to the bed, his fingers tugging the strands of Ichigo's hair as his head bopped on his cock, those hot lips sucking so that his cheeks were hollowed and that quick tongue twirling around the tip, teasing the sensitive slit. Soon Ichigo started to moan and breathe heavily, like he was really enjoying this himself. Renji whined quietly at the sounds his lover was making, he had no idea Ichigo could sound so erotic and lustful. He tried not to press on his head with his hands but nearly rested them upon it, wanting to let the young man determine the pace for now. He knew he'd have his chance later. He felt Ichigo's other hand slip from his thigh and move to between his legs, gently grabbing his testicles and kneading them in his hand.

"Oh god" Renji wheezed and dug his fingers into Ichigo's hair, chewing on his lower lip. He was usually quite loud in bed but didn't want to scare Ichigo if the young man wasn't used to such a thing. There were so many things he wanted to do with him. Ever since Grimmjow had mentioned all the things they had experimented in bed he had been tormented by the image of a bondaged Ichigo, tied up to be his very own plaything. The mental image made him chuckle and he raised his head up to glance at the young man who was now lapping at the tip of his cock, surprising Renji with his expertise.

Renji let his other hand slide down Ichigo's neck to his own thigh, grabbing hold of the young man's hand. He squeezed it tightly as Ichigo made one of those high keening sounds that made his breath hitch, if he was able to produce such sounds now what would he sound like when Renji was doing something to him? Ichigo's tongue slid up and down on his erection again, making his back arch into the touch and his fingers tugged on the young man's hair. He couldn't take it any longer, he wanted to get his own hands on his lover now when this was finally happening. With a groan he pulled on Ichigo's hand to draw him on top of himself, the hot mouth leaving his groin and trailed kisses along his abdomen again. Ichigo crawled up next to Renji, smiling almost shyly to him and looking so adorable the redhead pulled him into tight hug, burying his face to the crook of the young man's neck. He breathed heavily against his hot skin, trying to decide what he wanted to do in turn to make Ichigo feels as good as he had felt.

"Was that okay" Ichigo mumbled, sounding so tentative and wary Renji just wanted to snuggle him.

"Whaddya think" he chuckled, planting kisses on Ichigo's neck and face before pressing their lips together. The young man wrapped his hands around Renji's waist, sliding them up his back between his shoulder blades. He exhaled heavily and smiled against Renji's mouth, his body relaxing into the man's touch.

"Good" he sighed, "I wasn't sure if I was doing it right." The redhead frowned and pulled his head back to look at the young man.

"Seriously?" he asked, "I thought you'd…"

"Well once" Ichigo huffed, "you know, with…"

"Oh" Renji remembered who Ichigo meant, "oh, right, right."

"Is that okay?" Ichigo asked and bit down on his lower lip, now looking nervous again.

"Yeah, I just…Hmh, I dunno, you could've fooled me" Renji said and grinned at him, stealing another kiss from his lips, "you're a good student then." Ichigo's chuckle was muffled against Renji's mouth and turned into a quiet moan as the man's hands travelled down his back to grab his ass, their erections rubbing against each other between their bodies.

"You want me to…" Renji asked as his fingers drew small circles on Ichigo's skin near his entrance. The young man pressed his head to Renji's shoulder and nodded, his hair chaffing against the redhead's skin. He placed his other hand on Ichigo's neck and kissed his cheek, smiling gently.

"You don't have to just for me, boke" he murmured.

"I know" Ichigo replied, "but I want you to."

"Just say now if you're don't 'cause later it's gonna be fucking difficult to stop me" Renji chuckled, his fingers dipping closer to Ichigo's entrance.

"Just do it you idiot" the young man grunted and his nails dug into Renji's back. His legs wrapped around Renji's thighs again and his ankles locked together as his body tensed up.

"Relax boke" the redhead muttered and stroke Ichigo's hair calmly, "I'll be gentle."

"I know." Still Ichigo gasped as the first finger was inserted, exhaling heavily and pressing his face against Renji's shoulder. After few seconds the initial pain subsided and he was able to slowly relax, earning another low rumble from the redhead.

"Told you to relax" he muttered as he slowly moved his finger to stretch the young man.

"Sorry" Ichigo grunted and received a quick kiss on his forehead.

"Don't worry about it" Renji said and then frowned, "you have lube?" He didn't see Ichigo's face but could swear it felt hotter against his skin as the young man blushed.

"Yeah" he mumbled, "in the bedside table."

"Good" the redhead smirked, "I don't have to break you in then." Before Ichigo had a chance to ask what he meant another finger was inserted into him, making his breath catch in his throat again and forgot about it.

"You want me to make this better for you?" Renji suddenly asked, earning a weird look from Ichigo.

"How?" The redhead's wolfish smirk said enough. He quickly moved down on the bed, pushing Ichigo onto his back and shuffled between the young man's legs. Before he even realized what was happening Renji had took him into his mouth, drawing his attention away from the slightly uncomfortable feeling in his backside.

"Oh gods" Ichigo gasped as the combination of the anal play and Renji's slick tongue on his cock made his mind go blank. His hands grabbed the sheets and bundled them into his fists as he bucked his hips up to give the man better access. Renji was concentrating on the tip of Ichigo's cock, his tongue twirling around it as his fingers slowly pumped in and out of the young man. He was glad he'd thought of this, the difference was noticeable as Ichigo was now much more relaxed under his touch, the last thing Renji wanted to do was to hurt his lover at this moment. Ichigo rolled his hips against Renji's hand and mouth, moans escaping from his lips and his fists tugged on the sheets.

"Oh Christ" he groaned and buried his heels into the mattress, his widened eyes staring at the ceiling, "oh gods." Renji chuckled and his mouth vibrated slightly, making Ichigo's body jerk and he bounced into a sitting position, chin dropping to his chest. Renji's hair had fallen all around his head, tickling the skin on Ichigo's thighs and brushing gently against his stomach. Ichigo reached his other hand to sweep the curtain of hair away from blocking his sight, sighing deeply as he saw his lover's head gently bopping up and down. Ichigo chewed on his lower lip and screwed his eyes shut, trying to muffle the sounds of pleasure that tried to escape from his throat. He felt how Renji slowly withdrew his fingers and leaned heavily on his arms, raising his head up and giving his cock few last long licks. The man whipped his hair back, revealing his smirking face and eyes that glinted from sheer joy and pleasure.

"How's that" he asked as he crawled on top of Ichigo, knocking him ontp his back on the bed. Ichigo uttered a lilting laugh and grabbed Renji's face into his hands, smashing their lips together. The young man's tongue massaged against Renji's lips and slipped into his mouth, entwining with his own tongue.

"God I love you" Ichigo breathed out in between kisses, desperately clinging onto Renji who was trying hard not to fall on top of him.

"Love you too boke" he murmured before he straightened himself up and glanced at the bedside table over his shoulder. Ichigo nodded and waved his hand towards the table.

"It's there, in the top drawer." The redhead grinned at him as he scrambled to the table, letting out a victorious shout as he retrieved the small bottle of lube. Ichigo heard his father's words in his head and cringed, this really wasn't the time to be distracted by such thoughts. Renji shuffled back to him on his knees, clicking open the bottle and squeezing a fair amount of the colourless gel into his hand. Ichigo flashed a smile and leaned to scoop the gel off the man's hand into his fingers.

"Let me" he explained to the curious looking redhead, lowering his hand to the man's groin and lathering his cock with the lube. Renji rewarded him with a pleasant rumble somewhere deep from his chest, making the hairs on Ichigo's neck stand up. He remembered his first time with a man and how he had been almost scared half to dead but at the same time more aroused than ever before. _Not counting this time. _

Renji wrapped his arm around Ichigo's thigh, pulling the young man closer. His other hand quickly made its way to Ichigo's ass, the young man yelped as the lubed fingers were inserted into him again.

"You're still too cute" the redhead chuckled and kissed Ichigo quickly, earning a bite on his lip.

"Stop saying that" Ichigo groaned and quick breath hissed between his teeth as Renji probed him with his slick fingers.

"Stop being cute" Renji retorted and kissed the corner of Ichigo's mouth, "you ready?" The young man exhaled slowly and nodded, trying to force a smile on his face.

"Stop asking me that" he muttered and shifted in his place, "how do you wanna…do it." Renji huffed and looked around them in the bed that was already quite disheveled. Ichigo's legs were already parted to his sides and he was sitting on his hunches.

"This is fine" he said, pulling Ichigo little bit closer still, "you wanna sit on my lap?" Ichigo snorted but then realized the man was serious.

"Uh, yeah, sure" he mumbled and wrapped his hands around Renji's neck, sliding himself into the man's lap. The redhead gripped his hips and raised him up, positioning him above his cock.

"You su…"

"Just do it already, boke" Ichigo demanded. Renji smirked.

"As you wish" he said and pushed Ichigo down on his erection, keeping his eyes on the young man's face to see his reaction. Ichigo's eyes bulged and his jaws clenched tight, nails digging into Renji's neck. The redhead kissed the young man's collar bones, trying to calm him down. For a minute or so he didn't move, just let Ichigo try and relax, listening to his breathing slowly steady down. Then he gently raised him up and bucked his hips up, making Ichigo moan not so quietly this time. Renji loved that sound more than any of the previous ones he had already heard. Ichigo entwined his legs behind his back and pressed his head against Renji's, now with a wry smile on his face.

"Better?"

"Yeah" he nodded, sweat gleaming on his forehead, "yeah, feels good."

"Perfect" Renji grinned and thrust with his hips, making them both moan loudly. Ichigo was already panting, the grip of his arms almost strangling Renji.

"Do…do that again" he wheezed, pressing his hips down on him.

"I'll try" the redhead obliged and thrust again, earning a smothered groan from Ichigo. The young man locked their lips together in a breathy kiss, tongues sloppily rubbing against each other. Their mewls of pleasure were silenced against each others' mouths as Renji thrust up again and again, Ichigo rolling his hips in the same rhythm. The young man kept tugging on Renji's hair that was stuck to the man's back and skull from the sweat. His erection was rubbing against Renji's abdomen, the friction felt good but it wasn't enough. As if reading his mind, Renji moved his hand from Ichigo's hips, wrapping the other one behind the young man's back, and started stroking his cock.

Ichigo sighed softly and twirled strands of crimson hair around his fingers. He broke their kiss and pressed his cheek against Renji's, his eyes staring ahead without really seeing anything, only thing in his mind was the hot ball that was burning in his abdomen below his navel, the feeling that made his legs shake. Renji's strokes got quicker and the man pressed his forehead against Ichigo's shoulder, grunting with every deep thrust. Ichigo didn't first even realize that the high keening sounds were coming out of his own mouth, and he bit his teeth together, burying his face into Renji's hair.

"Renji, I…" he managed to utter before a swift move of the man's hips took his breath away again.

"I know" Renji grumbled back, concentrating on keeping up his pace. Ichigo nodded and just let his mind fly out of the window, all the physicality at the moment was taking up all his brain space. He moaned as he felt his orgasm peak and the hot fluid spread on his stomach and over Renji's hand. The man didn't stop moving yet, but slowed down, Ichigo didn't have the energy to counter his thrusts anymore so he just leaned on the man, his breath hot against his lover's skin. Renji pressed Ichigo's hips down few more times and finally felt himself come, cursing under his breath as the pleasuring waves swept over him.

"Good god" he mumbled after the orgasm had passed, his arm still locked behind Ichigo's back. The young man's fingers slowly untangled themselves from his damp hair and he rested his arms on Renji's shoulders, the only sound was their heavy breathing. After a while the nagging of Renji's muscles started to register in his brain and he let them both fall back onto the bed, straightening his legs with a groan.

"Christ Ichi you're heavy" he sighed as he stretched his legs on the messed up sheets. Ichigo's hands were still around his neck and the young man's eyes were closed. The redhead poked him between the ribs, making him flinch.

"Don't go to sleep boke, you're filthy" he murmured. Ichigo cracked his eyes open and smiled slowly. He pulled himself into Renji's arms, snuggling his head against the man's neck.

"Don't care" he replied, pressing a kiss on his lover's jaw, "five more minutes." Renji chortled and wrapped himself around Ichigo, nuzzling his nose against his forehead.

"Lazy bastard" he said, "well it's your bed."

"My bed, my rules" Ichigo giggled and rubbed his legs against Renji's. The man stroked his hair affectionately and leaned his head onto the mattress.

"Well" he started, "how was it? Did I live up to the hype?"

"What hype" Ichigo groaned and chuckled, earning a headbutt from Renji, "oww, domestic violence."

"You're one to talk, you practically scalped me."

"Oh, sorry about that" the young man muttered and then smiled before kissing Renji gently.

"Well I enjoyed myself" the redhead said, smile tugging the corners of his mouth, "obviously."

"Yeah, I liked it" Ichigo yawned and looked at Renji with euphoric eyes, "and I like you too."

"Surprise" Renji chuckled and kissed the tip of Ichigo's nose, "but you're still filthy."

"Aww, do I have to?" The redhead rolled his eyes and exhaled as he pushed himself up from the bed.

"Well I'll carry you then you lazy bastard, get up." Ichigo rolled onto his back and flailed his hands towards Renji, who grabbed them tightly and swung the young man over his shoulders.

"Ungh, my stomach hurts" Ichigo groaned as Renji carried him to the bathroom, kicking the doors open with his foot.

"Don't complain or I might drop you" the redhead grunted as they got the bathroom and he lowered Ichigo to his own feet. The young man looked down at himself and made a face at the mess on his stomach and thighs.

"Gross" he muttered and poked at the cum stains. Renji huffed and walked into the shower, turning on the hot water. After few seconds he reached his hand out to Ichigo.

"You coming or not?"

* * *

_Possibly the longest smut I've written thus far. I just wanted to try and make something special for these two after such a long wait. Hope you liked it. _


	24. The One That Saves Me

**Last chapter! Finally. My first ever fic and it took me about a year to finish. It's been an exciting time, I almost feel bad for abandoning this one while writing my other stories but I've gotten a lot better as a writer and it's all thanks to writing these little stories. So it's kinda sad too, but a relief as well, I managed to finish what I started, even if it took me forever. The last lines gave me hell.**

**I want to offer a special thanks to every single reviewer who has taken the time to say a few words about this fic, sometimes all you need is few words to get inspired and before you know it, the story is almost writing itself when you know that there is at least one person who wants to read your stuff. So if you have never reviewed any stories, start now, it really makes a difference. Thank you and much love to everyone, you've been great.**

**The One That Saves Me**

Hard rock was blasting loudly from the radio in the garage when the man stomped in. He looked around the garage first seeing no-one, but then noticed a pair of legs sticking out from under a car. He walked promptly to the car and stood next to the pair of legs. He waited for a few minutes to get noticed, but when nothing happened, he ushered a swift kick to the other leg, making it flinch and heard a satisfying string of curses from under the car. Soon enough the man fixing the vehicle emerged out, still muttering obscenities. The mechanic's long red hair was braided neatly and he was covered in black tribal tattoos and oil stains. Seeing who had kicked him, his face turned from an angry scowl to a surprised smile.

"Zaraki- san, it's been awhile", he greeted the visitor as he shuffled to his feet, wiping his oily hands in a rag that hang on his belt. The other man just scoffed, flicking back his black hair.

"Looking sharp I see" Renji pointed to the man's attire. Sunglasses covered his eyes and he was wearing an all black, tailor-made suit.

"You could say that" the tall man replied and looked around the garage.

"I see you've returned to work" he continued. Renji uttered a laugh and nodded.

"Yeah, it's been a weird few weeks but it's sorted now. So, you wanted to see me for something?" Zaraki nodded but before he opened his mouth another voice shouted from the garage door.

"Oi, Renji! You finished yet, we were supposed to meet half an hour ago…" Ichigo called out but then stopped upon seeing who else was at the scene. Both men turned to look at him, his current boyfriend and the first ever man he had slept with.

"Ke- Kenpachi", he mumbled. The man flashed a wide grin and waved his hand to him.

"Long time no see" he greeted the young man, "Ichigo". The way his name rolled of the man's tongue awakened certain memories in Ichigo's mind and he could feel his face starting to turn red. He fumbled backwards out of the garage trying to compose himself while Zaraki and Renji snickered at him. Finally Renji nudged Zaraki on his side, giving him a scolding stare.

"Now now Zaraki, leave my boyfriend alone, I don't like sharing him" he chuckled. Zaraki turned his predatory smirk at him and for a second Renji was sure the man would challenge him into a fight for the young man.

"Boyfriend you say?" he pronounced, eyeing the young man standing nervously on the street just outside the garage, "Interesting development." Ichigo looked at Renji for help but the man just shrug his shoulders, if Zaraki wanted to play with something there was no stopping him.

"What happened to that Aizen's minion", the man asked "with the weird name, Grimm- something."

"Grimmjow. I thought he joined your gang" Renji frowned.

"Yeah he did" Zaraki grunted, "still can't remember his name though. I meant with him and you, you seemed tight." Renji was surprised Zaraki even knew he had been with Grimmjow, but guess when you're one of the town's underground kingpins you had to know all kinds of stuff.

"Didn't work out" Renji dismissed the topic quickly "I don't think he's the committed type."

"Yeah, probably right", Zaraki grumbled and kept his eye on Ichigo "well you'll have fun with that kid too."

"Yes I do" the redhead smirked and winked at Ichigo who was now glaring at him, "he's a good kid."

"Tell me about it" the mobster chuckled, making shivers run down Renji's spine. He tried hard not to imagine his boyfriend in bed with Zaraki but didn't quite succeed.

"Ahem, so yes, what was it you wanted to see me about?" he asked the man, trying to steer the conversation into safer topics.

"Yes, I believe you have something I want" the man grunted and turned to Renji, glaring at him over the rim of his sunglasses.

"And what might that be?" Zaraki glanced around the garage, then paraded into the farthest corner where there was a vehicle covered with a large canvas. He grabbed the fabric and pulled it off, revealing a shiny old Cadillac. Zaraki smirked at himself and ran his hand across the bonnet.

"So you did manage to fix it" he noted to Renji over his shoulder, knocking the steel with his knuckles.

"Yeah, it's been waiting for him there for ages" Renji said, walking over to the car, "I just haven't seen him since he was discharged from the hospital."

"Yeah, I've kept him busy" the mobster said, "so it's in working condition?"

"Yep, ready to go" the mechanic assured him.

"Great, where are the keys?" Renji frowned, the tattoos on his forehead burrowing.

"I'm not sure if Grimmjow lets me live if I let anyone else take his car" he protested tentatively. Zaraki turned to glare at him and Renji took a hesitant step back. Zaraki was the wrong person to annoy but Grimmjow treated his car like it was his own flesh and blood. It didn't really say much considering how little Grimmjow cared about his own wellbeing but still, he became fierce as an angry mother bear when someone else touched his car. On the other hand, he had heard Zaraki slice people into pieces so small they could be scattered in a three mile radius.

"Fine, I'll tell him to come pick it himself" the man finally said, making Renji let out a long sigh of relief. He had to mask it with a fake cough and try to look nonchalant as the man strut past him out of the garage. Ichigo almost jumped when the man placed his hand on his shoulder in passing and buried his nose into the young man's obnoxiously coloured hair. Renji tilted his head to one side and frowned as the mobster very clearly sniffed his boyfriend's hair before walking away laughing.

Ichigo was almost trembling when Renji walked to him, wrapping his arms around his waist and pecking a kiss on his neck.

"You alright?" he asked, trying not to laugh at Ichigo's absolutely terrified expression. The young man nodded slowly, trying to shake off the scare.

"Yeah, just caught me off guard" he replied, looking at Renji and managed even a small smile, "but you're late again." Renji groaned and reached his neck back to look at the clock high up on the garage wall.

"Aww shit, sorry Ichi" he apologized, "lost the track of time."

"Yeah yeah, heard it all before" Ichigo said but the smile kept tugging his lips.

"Are you gonna forgive me?" the redhead asked, his hands snaking under Ichigo's shirt.

"Maybe" Ichigo said, "but save that for later. We're already late."

"Alright, alright, let's get going. I'll just lock up." Ichigo rocked back and forth on his heels as Renji shut the doors and then stretched his arms high above his head, popping his shoulder and neck. Ichigo cringed and shook his head as the man walked back to him, jingling the keys in his hand.

"I told you to stop doing that" he scolded the redhead, who just rolled his eyes and planted a quick kiss on his lips. Ichigo had noted that every time Renji wanted to get away from arguing or even just talking about something he tried to distract him with kisses and loving touches. At first Ichigo had been against it but now he thought that maybe it was better to spend time showing your love and appreciation than to argue about menial things.

"Do you have any clean clothes to wear to the party?" he asked Renji as they started walking down the street towards the man's apartment. The redhead raised his eyebrows as he skimmed through his wardrobe in his head.

"I'd think so yeah." Ichigo rolled his eyes, coming from Renji that basically meant no.

"Well you'll be glad to hear Uryuu insisted on supplying us both with proper suits" he said, earning a somewhat horrified look from Renji, "it's not as bad as you think. Don't you wanna look your best for Orihime's sake?" Renji groaned but then nodded, it was the least he could do for the girl after causing her so much worry.

"You know, I wouldn't have figured that Ulquiorra'd be the type to propose after this short amount of time" Ichigo noted to him as they walked on, Renji's fingers quietly entwining with Ichigo's and pulling him closer.

"I guess being so close to getting killed can put things into perspective" he replied, his free hand patting his pockets for cigarettes before he remembered he had promised to quit.

"Guess you're right."

"I know I am" Renji smirked, pulling on Ichigo's hand and pecked another kiss on the young man's cheek. Ichigo made a face and wiped his face with the back of his hand, his tongue poking out from his mouth.

"Sometimes I really forget you're a grown man" he muttered, earning a barking laugh from the redhead.

"Who'd want to be grown up anyway?" he laughed, "Adults are just kids trying to behave properly. And I should probably add inverted commas around the word properly." Ichigo chuckled, sometimes he thought Renji spend too much time thinking up valid arguments to defend his childish and silly behavior. But he had to admit it, some of them actually made some sense.

"Fine, whatever, as long as you're happy" he said smilingly. Renji arched an eyebrow, flashing him a cockeyed smile.

"I'd rather you be happy than me, boke."

"I'm happy when you're happy baka" the young man insisted, making the redhead roll his eyes again.

"You're impossible to please Berry" he sighed over-dramatically. The young man laughed, throwing his head slightly back flashing his teeth and tongue. Renji felt his insides turn into warm goo at the sight and stopped on his tracks, pulling Ichigo into a quick embrace, catching the young man off-guard with his sudden tenderness. Ichigo sunk his hands into Renji's thick mane, pressing his face into the man's neck and inhaled on his scent. They didn't say anything for a while, just stood still in each others' arms and listened to the sound of the other's steady breathing. Finally Renji drew slightly back and captured Ichigo's mouth into a gentle kiss.

"Can't we just go home and stay in for the night" the redhead murmured against the young man's lips, though he already knew the answer.

"You know we can't" Ichigo replied, though Renji could hear he was considering the option. With a slight groan he pulled away but was stopped by Ichigo's hands that still held onto his neck. The young man ran his fingers on Renji's face, tracing his cheekbones and the tattoos on his forehead, now slightly covered by the scarf wrapped around his head.

"We have time" he whispered smilingly, his brown eyes twinkling with joy. Renji smirked back and grabbed Ichigo's hand into his, kissing his fingers and knuckles.

"But not right now we don't" he muttered.

"I meant in general" the young man chuckled, "and you can go on for couple of hours more without sex." Renji raised his eyebrows at him.

"Wouldn't be so sure about that."

"Well you just have to" Ichigo noted and nudged Renji's legs with his own, "let's get going already, Uryuu's gonna be mad if we're much late."

"Oh fine then" Renji scoffed and threw his hands in the air, "have it your way."

"I will" Ichigo said, kissing the man quickly on his cheek, "later." Before Renji had a chance to ask what he meant, the young man was already hurrying down the street and he had to run to catch up with him.

An hour and a half later saw them both standing in front of the Kuchiki mansion, waiting for the giant gates to open. Renji was pulling on his shirt collar, he was still angry with Uryuu making him wear a bowtie. Next to him Ichigo was quietly chuckling at him misery, he had been considered too young to wear a bowtie and had just been given a black suit and a crisp white shirt under it.

"I still don't get it why you don't even have a tie" Renji groaned as he gave up on trying to make himself feel more comfortable. _I need a drink, that'll do it. _

"Apparently since I don't have any formal role I can just be smart casual" Ichigo grinned and pulled on the collars of his jacket. The gates finally slid open and they walked up the driveway towards the main entrance. They could see few people standing outside on the large balcony, drinks in hand and laughing loudly. Renji narrowed his eyes as he tried to make out who they were.

"That's Jyushiro and Shunsui I think" Ichigo noted, earning a not-so-grateful glare from the redhead, "don't strain your eyes gramps."

"Why you little…" Renji muttered as he bounced on Ichigo, making him sprint across the lawn to escape the man's grasp. The men ran around the yard for a good while before Renji finally managed to tackle Ichigo into the ground, making them both slide few meters on the grass before they stopped. Renji pinned the young man under him and started to tickle him viciously, making him howl out a mix of laughter and pain. They were suddenly interrupted by a sharp whistle that came from the balcony above. They looked up and saw a stern looking Byakuya standing on the balcony with lazily smiling Kisuke beside him.

"Abarai, stop fooling around and get inside immediately, you are late already" Byakuya ordered.

"Hello yourself Byakuya" the redhead shouted back at him but got up, pulling Ichigo up along with him. The young man reached his hand to brush away grass from Renji's suit.

"You're a mess already" he reprimanded him. The redhead scoffed and straightened his bowtie.

"Pish posh, I think I look quite fine and dandy" he said in a fake posh accent, swiping back his hair that was loose on his shoulders. Ichigo laughed and waved to Byakuya and Kisuke, the blonde man raised his martini glass at them.

"Looking sharp there boys" he hollered at them and draped his other arm around Byakuya's shoulders, earning a weird look from the man. Kisuke murmured something into his ear and he relaxed slightly, muttering something back that made Kisuke's smile widen.

"See you inside" Ichigo yelled as he steered Renji towards the main doors. As they finally made it inside the building, they were greeted by an anxious Rukia, who was dressed in a deep blue dress.

"Where the hell have you been?" she hissed at them as she grabbed Renji's arm and started dragging him towards the stairs that lead to the second floor, "Orihime's already nervous, why do you have to add to it?"

"I told him we were late" Ichigo said as he headed for the main hall where the ceremony would take place. Rukia rolled her eyes and glared at Renji as they staggered up the stairs.

"I told Orihime she should've chosen someone more reliable as her best man but no, it had to be you and your sorry late ass."

"Hey, at least I'm here" Renji defended himself, "and to be frank, she couldn't have chosen a better-looking best man." Rukia snorted but then quickly scanned Renji from head to toe and tilted her head slightly to the side.

"Oh well, guess she's onto something after all" she smirked, earning a similar but slightly more smug grin from the redhead. She pushed him towards the door right at the end of the long hallway.

"Now go, she's waiting."

Downstairs Ichigo had gotten his hands on some champagne and was wandering around the huge hall that had been decorated for the event. They'd have a small ceremony and then dinner, there were several round tables set up all around the other end of the hall. Everything smelled of roses and the hall was lit with what looked like several hundred candles that gave the area a soft, almost mystical atmosphere. People had gathered at the other end of the hall where the area was cleared for the ceremony and Ichigo walked towards them, raising his wine glass as a greeting as they waved at him. He could see Yumichika and Ikkaku dressed sharply in suits, beside them Shuuhei, Kira and Rangiku who basking in the admiration of the two men in her figure-hugging red dress. Ichigo was surprised to see the blonde policewoman there too, standing next to Ulquiorra with a beautiful young woman with long green hair. Chad was there too, standing with Uryuu and who was apparently his new girlfriend, a solemn-looking young woman with long black hair and dressed in a dangerously short dress. Ichigo had been surprised to hear Orihime had invited them too but that was just who she was, she held no grudges and was more than happy for them. _Or so she says, maybe she just wants to rub her happiness on their faces…Who knows. _

Shunsui and Jyushiro raised their glasses at Ichigo, holding hands and looking quite happy. With them was Yoruichi with her girlfriend Sui Feng, small, lithe woman with keen eyes. Yoruichi was laughing and pulled the smaller woman into a tight hug, making her visibly relax and even flash her lover a quick smile. Ichigo's father was there too, joking with Shunsui and apparently he had already enjoyed some champagne, he laughed loudly and threw his head back. Kisuke and Byakuya had come inside from the balcony and were talking quietly in one corner, the blonde man was gently caressing Byakuya's arm and Ichigo could swear there was a small smile tugging on the corners of Byakuya's mouth, though the man was busy trying to hide it. The young man chose to walk over to Chad, the tall man was listening to Uryuu talking about something while his girlfriend just stared quietly at Chad, as if he was something she'd be examining on a slab.

"Hello everyone" Ichigo greeted them, interrupting Uryuu's explanation and earning a somewhat annoyed look from him. Chad smiled faintly at him and the girl moved her eyes to Ichigo. Her constant stare made Ichigo slightly uncomfortable, as if the girl was trying to look straight into his brain.

"Hi Ichigo" Chad mumbled, "you good?"

"Yeah, and almost on time" he grinned, smacking the taller man on the back. Uryuu rolled his eyes like Rukia had done to Renji.

"It's a wonder you're able to get anything done anymore, I was beginning to think you and Renji are joined from the hip nowadays."

"You're just jealous" Ichigo jeered and glanced at the girl who was still staring at him, "sorry, we haven't been introduced." Uryuu flinched as if he had forgotten the girl's presence.

"Ah, yes, this is Nemu, Nemu this is Ichigo, a fellow student from college."

"Pleasure to meet you" Nemu said and bowed low, her hands folded together in front her of. Ichigo frowned at the strangely formal gesture but did a small bow back at her.

"You too" he muttered, "what are you studying at the uni?"

"Chemistry and experimental physics."

"Ah, cool. That must be interesting."

"Extremely so. Physics contains the whole of the universe." Ichigo felt already like he had absolutely no idea what to say to this girl. Her expression didn't change at all as she spoke, she kept staring at people for an uncomfortably long time and he was almost sure she didn't even blink.

"Right" he said slowly, "I have to…go say hi to…people, excuse me." Ichigo quickly scampered away and tried to calm his nerves by gulping down most of his champagne, he could feel his skin still crawling from the girl's stare. As he walked across the hall towards Shunsui, Jyushiro and his father he noticed a familiar looking man standing in the balcony, his silhouette drawn against the evening sky. Ichigo changed his direction and instead walked outside into the cool air. He was greeted by the smell of cigarette smoke, the familiar scent that still weeks before used to stain Renji's clothes and hair. The man was standing near the edge of the balcony, puffing out smoke rings into the air and leaning into the railing. Ichigo walked to him, bit warily keeping a safe distance to him.

Grimmjow glanced at him from the corner of his eye and exhaled smoke from his nostrils.

"Fancy seeing you here" Ichigo said, trying not to sound accusing. The man scoffed and twirled the cigarette in his fingers.

"I was invited" he grunted back, drawing in a smoke. Ichigo shifted in his place, looking down from the balcony. He wasn't quite sure what Grimmjow thought of him, after it had come to light that he had broken up with Renji to keep him safe Ichigo had had the nagging fear in the back of his head that he might want Renji back. He hadn't said anything about it to Renji, Ichigo was sure the man would just laugh at him, as he so often did when he said something that was somehow undermining his confidence.

"_You're like a kicked puppy" _Renji used to say to him laughingly, ruffling his hair. Ichigo fought back the smile that always crept to his face when he thought about the man. Grimmjow could clearly see what he was thinking, tossed his cigarette down to the grass under them and straightened himself up. He was wearing a suit too, though it seemed to be rented as it did not really fit him. It was clearly too tight around his chest and arms, and the trousers were slightly too short. Still Grimmjow somehow managed to look presentable, but Ichigo couldn't really think any situation the man had looked less than perfect. People blessed with looks like that were probably physically incapable of looking bad. Only time Grimmjow hadn't looked like the embodiment of sex on legs had been when he had been in the hospital, half- dead. _Guess you can give him that though, I doubt anyone can really leave behind a beautiful corpse if you've been shot in the back. _

"So whaddya want" Grimmjow grumbled at him, folding his arms across his chest. Ichigo could swear he heard the fabric strain under the man's movements and wouldn't have been surprised if Grimmjow managed to tear the whole suit by the end of the night.

"Nothing, I just thought…" he started but then his voice trailed off, he didn't really know why he had come here. What would he say, tell Grimmjow to keep away from Renji? That would just sound stupid and childish, and probably just spur the man on. He didn't really know the man besides by what Renji had told him, and that didn't really tell him more than that the man was clearly a psychopath who enjoyed violence and weird sex. Not really the kind of person to hold a civilized conversation with.

"If it's Red you're concerned about, don't worry. I've had my fun with him" Grimmjow said, cocking his head back and ran his hand through his hair. Ichigo had to give it to him, the man was born to act like a diva and made it look good.

"Oh, alright then" the young man muttered, scratching the back of his neck, "well I guess…Thanks." Grimmjow barked out a hoarse laugh, scaring some birds in a nearby tree. He looked at Ichigo with his eyes laughing at him, his broad shoulders jumping up and down.

"You're a weird kid, you know that?" Before Ichigo had time to answer, music started playing in the hall and people stopped their chattering. Ichigo rushed inside just as Renji entered the hall with Orihime on his arm.

Orihime looked beautiful, as she always did. She was wearing a green dress that hugged her figure and made her hair look even shinier than usual, her pale skin radiated. She was beaming at everyone, and Renji was looking equally happy, almost laughing as they walked to their friends. Ulquiorra's face was still fixed into its usual stoic expression but his eyes were showing some unusual emotion. As Renji steered Orihime next to him, the corners of his lips curled slightly upwards and he took Orihime's hands into his own. Renji meandered to Ichigo, glancing at the balcony over his shoulder.

"Grimmjow's here" Ichigo muttered from the corner of his mouth as Jyushiro stepped forward to say few words for the engaged couple.

"I know" Renji murmured back, sliding his hand into Ichigo's and squeezing it lightly, "just enjoy the show for now."

"Alright, alright…" The couple settled down to listen as Jyushiro spoke wonderfully about Orihime and Ulquiorra, and Ichigo could see how his father started blubbering in the corner, sobbing into a napkin in his hand. Everyone else was smiling widely, except for Byakuya of course and Uryuu's Nemu, but even they seemed to be taken into the mood of the occasion. Orihime's eyes glistened with tears as she squeezed Ulquiorra's hands, the new silver ring shining on her ring finger. Ulquiorra caressed her small hands with his thumbs, smile tugging his lips. When it came their turn to say something, everyone held their breath so they wouldn't miss a word Ulquiorra had to say for his lover.

"Orihime" he started, his voice steady and calm, "you know how I feel about you."

"We don't" Rangiku hissed, but was quickly shushed down by Kira.

"So I don't see any reason why I should tell it to you here in front of everyone" Ulquiorra continued. Everyone groaned in unison but Orihime silenced them with her smiling glance.

"It's okay, I know how you are" she said, turning to look at her future husband, "and that's why I love you so much." She leaned in to kiss him, earning wild applauses from her friends.

"Alright, drinks all around!" Ikkaku shouted and they raised their glasses for a toast.

"For happily ever after!" Kisuke declared.

"Happily ever after!" the others repeated. Renji toasted his glass with Ichigo's and stole a quick kiss from his lips before drinking his champagne.

"You think that could be us one day?" he asked him, looking at him over the rim of his glass. At first Ichigo laughed but then realizing Renji was serious he calmed down, face turning into that familiar scowl of his.

"I…I couldn't say" he started, earning a raise of an eyebrow from the redhead, "but…" Ichigo lifted Renji's hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles, "if you keep this up, it might be." Renji's face spread into a wide smile and he pulled Ichigo closer, burying his face into his wildly-coloured hair.

"I can try" he murmured as the young man chuckled quietly against his neck.

"Alright you two, break it up" ordered a voice that made them pull away from each other. Isshin was standing close to them, holding an empty wine glass in his hand. His eyes were slightly red from crying but now he looked more tipsy than emotional. He stumbled towards Renji and Ichigo, and his son had to catch him so he wouldn't fall to the floor.

"Dad, for God's sake…" Ichigo muttered as he helped Isshin to his feet. The man just swatted the air dismissively and wrapped his arm around Renji's neck, pulling the man close and whispered something into his ear. The redhead listened with a confused expression on his face but then nodded slowly and chuckled, patting Isshin on his chest.

"I hear you loud and clear, Isshin. No need to worry." Isshin's face lit up and he smiled that crazy grin he always did.

"Then that settles it" he said, his words slightly slurring. He then turned to Ichigo and pulled him into a tight bearhug, almost knocking the air out of the young man's lungs.

"Dad, please" Ichigo groaned as he tried to wriggle free from the man's grasp. Renji's shoulders shook as he laughed silently at the sight.

"I'm so happy for you Ichigo" Isshin mumbled, patting his son on the head, "you've found a good man, you'll be very happy…"

"I know, dad, I know" Ichigo cut him off, trying to push him off, "please stop blubbering now, will you?" Finally Isshin let go of his son and beamed at him too, the sight almost too awful for Ichigo to bear.

"Just go get some more wine" the young man sighed and pushed his father on his way. Renji watched the man stumble away and then stepped closer to Ichigo again.

"Ain't that sweet" he grinned at the young man who didn't look very amused.

"Don't say a word more" he ordered, smoothing down his suit that had crumbled up as his father had hugged him, "I've put up with him for over twenty years now, there's nothing sweet about him."

"At least he didn't say anything about lubricants this time" the redhead muttered into his wine glass, "though I think I should thank him for that." Ichigo smacked Renji on the back of his head, earning an evil glare from him and would've probably had to run away again if Orihime hadn't ran to them, holding up the hem of her dress so she wouldn't trip on it. She bounced into Ichigo's arms, squeezing him almost as hard as Isshin had just before.

"Oh Ichigo, I'm so happy" she squealed as she hang on the young man's neck. Ichigo hugged her back, lifting the girl's feet from the ground.

"I'm happy for you too" he replied, "and you look beautiful." Orihime laughed and then let go of Ichigo, lowering her feet to the floor.

"No, that's not what I meant" she said, "I mean, I'm really, really, really happy but I'm happy for you two as well." She looked at Renji and then leaped to hug him too, swinging from his neck like a monkey. As she loosened her grip she opened her mouth to say something but then she noticed something behind Renji and her face split into a wide smile.

"Grimmjow!" she clamored and pranced to the man who had been standing by the door to the balcony, "You came!" Grimmjow didn't have time to say anything before the girl had locked her tiny arms around his neck too, pressing her head against his chest. Renji and Ichigo enjoyed the slightly horrified and annoyed look on the man's face but to their surprise, he didn't shake Orihime off but even hugged her back, though with less vigor.

"I was invited, wasn't I?" he grunted as Orihime released him from her grasp.

"I know, but I wasn't sure if this was really your scene" she replied, clasping her hands together and jumping on her place. Grimmjow snorted and glanced around the hall, Orihime was right.

"Well, Ulquiorra said he'd have my head on a pike if I didn't show up so" the man shrugged. To his surprise Orihime just giggled.

"That sounds just like him" she said, taking Grimmjow's hand into hers, "I'm glad you came, and it's good to see you're well." The man huffed but said nothing, merely reached for the cigarettes in his breast pocket. He glanced over Orihime's head as he saw her fiancée walking towards them and nodded in greeting to him. The stoic man stepped to Orihime's side and wrapped his arm around her small waist, earning a loving gaze from her.

"I see you came" Ulquiorra noted to Grimmjow, who rolled his eyes as he placed a cigarette between his lips.

"Obviously" he scoffed as he lit the cigarette. Ulquiorra reached to snatch it from the man's lips and grumbled it in his hand. For few seconds Grimmjow stared at the smaller man with confusion and anger but then just scowled at him, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"You're not subjecting my fiancée to that poison" Ulquiorra said. Renji and Ichigo exchanged knowing glances and sniggered quietly.

"Fine, whatever" Grimmjow grunted, throwing a glare at Renji and Ichigo who were trying to cover their laughter with a fake cough. The man strode towards them, stopping only a foot away and scowling down at them, as if daring them to laugh.

"Sorry Grimm" Renji managed to utter and squeezed Ichigo's arm to make him stop laughing, "I see you're well." The man rolled his eyes again, making a face at the statement.

"Isn't there anything else to talk about tonight" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well sorry if I'm boring you."

"You are."

"Right. So why are you still here?" The man scoffed, throwing his head back a little in that cocky way he did.

"I wanna see my car, what's happened to it?"

"It's waiting for you in the garage, just come and get it when you want to."

"How much do I owe you?"

"If you promise not the get killed it's free for the taking" Renji said, his hand wrapping itself around Ichigo's waist. Grimmjow looked at him as if to see if he was being serious.

"How am I supposed to do that" he muttered, running his fingers through his hair.

"Shouldn't be too difficult, you're not that stupid" the redhead smirked. Ichigo felt weird, the connection between Renji and Grimmjow was so clear he felt like an outsider. It was different from what he was like with Byakuya or Kisuke, maybe it was because the man had nearly died trying to save them or maybe it was something else. Ichigo was pretty sure he'd never know.

"Fine" the blunette snarled, as if the thought of staying alive was somehow beyond him, "I'll come by on Monday."

"Great, it's been taking too much space anyway" Renji chuckled, resting his hand on Ichigo's hip. Grimmjow huffed but said nothing, his eyes darted across the room.

"I need a drink" he grumbled and walked towards the bar, leaving the young couple to themselves. Renji raised his eyebrows at the man and then looked at Ichigo.

"You wanna go get some fresh air?" Ichigo nodded and they walked outside to the balcony, the stars were out and so was the crescent moon, offering some light to the scenery.

"So that was…romantic" the redhead noted, nodding back towards the hall. Ichigo smiled, leaning his hand against the balcony's railing. This was the spot he had met Renji for the first time, or more accurately had been scared half to dead by the man. With his strange ninja get-up and obvious flirting. The memory made Ichigo chuckle to himself, earning a weird look from the said man.

"What's so funny again?"

"You" Ichigo smiled, "don't you remember?" He gestured to the balcony. Now realization dawned on Renji's face and he laughed.

"Oh yeah, it was here…How long ago was that?" Ichigo shrugged, to him it felt like a lifetime.

"Oh well, doesn't matter I guess" Renji said and leaned on the railing, throwing a look at Ichigo, "but I think you're still cute." The young man glared at him but couldn't help his smile. The redhead reached his hand to ruffle his orange hair, the touch turning into a caress as the soft locks ran through his fingers.

"Can't believe you're actually here" Ichigo murmured quietly, his voice betraying the pain he still felt after having been so close to losing his best friend and lover.

"Well, believe it anyway" Renji chuckled and leaned in to kiss him. He couldn't get enough of Ichigo's taste, he felt like he could just lay in bed with him all day, never letting go.

"Guess I have to" the young man smiled, taking Renji's hand into his own. They stood in silence for a minute, the sound of their friends' laughter spread into the cool night.

"So what's next then? Now when it's all over?" Ichigo asked. Renji tilted his head to one side, shrugging his shoulders.

"I dunno, guess it's all smooth sailing from here. Can't really be any worse than it has been, can it?" he grinned, trying to make light of their gruesome past.

"Hope so. With Aizen gone and Grimmjow sorted…Do you have any other mental ex-s you wanna tell me about?"

"Not that I recall, though you never know when Byakuya snaps…But I guess now that he has Kisuke to deal with it, I should be safe. How about you, any big scary men in your past, besides Zaraki of course?" Ichigo snorted and nudged Renji's abdomen, only to have his hand grabbed by Renji and pulled into his arms.

"It's just you and me, right?" the man whispered into his ear, kissing his face.

"It's about time too" Ichigo mumbled. Renji scoffed and poked his nose against Ichigo's cheek.

"Quit your whining, it could be worse."

"If you say so."

"Hey" Renji protested and nibbled on Ichigo's ear, making the young man yelp, "don't get cocky on me, Berry."

"Sorry, it's just pretty natural when I'm with you" Ichigo chuckled, earning a sharp kick on his shin, "ouch! Domestic abuse!"

"Oh so we're considered domesticated now?" Renji chuckled.

"Well you were talking about a wedding just now so I'd say yes."

"Right you are Ichigo. As always." The men smiled at each other, stopping their antics for a few seconds just to enjoy the feeling of being close to one another. Ichigo took Renji's hand into his own and squeezed it, looking him straight in the eyes.

"Just you and me?"

"That's what I said." Ichigo hemmed and tilted his head back to look at the starry sky.

"I like the sound of that."

"That makes two of us then." Renji looked up at the sky, then back inside where their friends were celebrating. He nudged Ichigo gently on his side.

"Should we go back inside?" The young man sighed and lowered his eyes back to Renji, then smiled contently and pressed their foreheads together.

"Let's stay here…Just a little longer." The redhead hemmed but obliged, wrapping his arms around his lover. Ichigo pressed against Renji's, their bodies already molding against each other perfectly.

"Just us two" he murmured again. Renji smiled and kissed him gently.

"You", he whispered and kissed Ichigo again "and me." The young man looked so stupendously happy as he answered to Renji's kisses it almost made the redhead laugh out loud. Finally he drew back and draped his arm around Ichigo's shoulders.

"Now, let's get back to the party so we can go home at some point." Ichigo grabbed his hand and bumped their heads together.

"Can't wait." They walked back inside, instantly smiling to each other every time their eyes met.

"You do know that I love you Ichigo?" Renji suddenly asked just before they stepped inside, almost making the young man trip on his own feet. He stumbled back up and stared at the redhead. Renji frowned slightly at his expression.

"What's with that look?" Ichigo scoffed and rolled his eyes at him.

"Of course I know that, I'm the smart one, remember?" His face melted into a wide smile again and he squeezed Renji's hand.

"And I love you too, boke." Renji uttered a laugh and captured Ichigo's lips for a second.

"I just needed to say that. I need you to know that."

"Well I just need you, boke, so there." Renji pushed him gently and they walked back inside. Ichigo exhaled slowly and looked at him from the corner of his eye.

"You know Renji, I think we'll be just fine." Renji chuckled and gently ruffled Ichigo's hair.

"We've gotta be Ichi. I don't think I could survive without you." Ichigo almost stopped and looked at his boyfriend, seemingly touched by his words.

"Renji, you really..."

"I mean, who'd make my coffee?" Ichigo's face fell for a second and then he just laughed, shaking his head. He smacked Renji lightly on the back of his head.

"That's so lame, I can't believe you said it."

"What, you were waiting for some grand gesture? I'm an addict, remember, I need my coffee. I already quit smoking, let me have at least this."

"Fine, fine, I'll make you your stupid coffee. Seriously, you are just impossible."

"And you love me for it."

"One of my many flaws."

"Personally I think it's your best one."

"I think so too." They finally made it to their friends, and were immediately provided with new glasses of champagne. The celebration continued till long to the night, laughter and joy accompanying them until the early hours of the following morning. Even the morning sun seemed to shine brighter as Renji and Ichigo finally walked back home in comfortable silence. They didn't need to say anything to each other, they both knew exactly what the other one was thinking as their fingers laced together. Sometimes everything could be said with the barest of touches and glances, and they had earned that right.

"You do know I need you for more than just the coffee?"

"Oh for God's sake Renji...!"

"Alright, alright, just wanted to make sure..."

* * *

_The course of true love never did run smooth._

_-William Shakespeare_


End file.
